Red Kangaroo for Kids Ages 6-8

Red Kangaroo

I am a Red Kangaroo, the world's largest marsupial, living in the Australian Outback. I began my life as a tiny joey in my mother's pouch. Now, I use my powerful legs to hop and leap, eating grasses to survive in my dry home. I live with my family in a 'mob,' and together we help keep the land healthy for other animals.

First Scientifically Described 1822

Featured on Australian Coat of Arms 1908

A Red Kangaroo's Outback Adventure

Hello! My name is Roo, and I'm a Red Kangaroo. I am the biggest marsupial in the whole world. My home is here in Australia, in the sunny, wide-open spaces that people call the Outback. It’s a beautiful place with lots of red dirt. My fur is a lovely reddish-brown color, which is perfect for my home. It helps me blend in with the ground, so I can hide from anything that might bother me. I also have a very special tail. It's super long and strong. I use it like a third leg to help me balance when I'm hopping around or just standing still. It's one of the best things about being me.

When I was just a tiny baby, they called me a joey. Can you believe that when I was born, I was only as big as a jellybean? It's true. Right after I was born, I had to make a very big journey all by myself. I crawled through my mom's fur until I found her warm, cozy pouch. It was the safest place in the world. I lived inside that pouch for many months, just growing and getting strong. I drank my mom's milk to help me grow big. Sometimes, I would peek my head out to see the big, bright world outside. I watched other kangaroos hopping by and saw the tall grasses waving in the wind. I stayed tucked inside until I was finally big enough and strong enough to hop out and explore on my own two feet.

Now that I'm bigger, I can do amazing things. My back legs are super powerful. I use them to hop really, really fast across the land. I can even leap right over big bushes in a single bound. When I get hungry, my favorite foods are tasty grasses and other special plants that grow here. My home in the Outback can be very dry, but that's okay for me. I can go for a long time without drinking any water because I get what I need from the plants I eat. During the hottest part of the day, I find a nice, shady spot under a tree to rest and stay cool. Around the middle of the 20th century, people started to understand how important it was for us to rest in the shade to survive the heat.

I don't live by myself. I live with my family and friends in a group we call a 'mob'. Being in a mob is great because we all look out for each other. If one of us spots danger, like a sneaky dingo, we'll thump our feet on the ground to warn everyone to be careful. We are very important to our home here in Australia. By eating the grasses, we help keep them trimmed and neat. This keeps the land healthy for all the other animals that live here, too. My story is a big part of the story of Australia, and I am proud to help take care of this special land.