Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Description:

When travelling fast, the Kangaroo bounds forward on its huge, powerful hind legs, with the tail held out behind for balance, and the front legs tucked in close to the body. This motion is very fluid and graceful, and the Roo can cover huge distances, with massive leaps up to 8 m long (26 ft), and short bursts of speed reaching nearly 65 kph (40 mph)! An average travelling speed would be about 12 kph (8 mph). When Kangaroos are moving slowly, or feeding, they balance on their small front legs and tail, swing their hind legs forward like a pendulum, then bring up the tail and front legs to complete the movement. The muscles of the hind legs are attached in such a way that when travelling on land, the Kangaroo always moves both limbs together. Interestingly, if the Kangaroo ever has occasion to swim, it can then move its hind legs separately. With these strong hind limbs, the Kangaroo can jump vertically from a standing start over obstacles as tall as itself. Females with a large joey in the pouch can bound at top speed up a near vertical slope. Male Kangaroos also use their tail to balance when they rise up on their hind legs and have 'boxing matches' with other males. They tip back their heads and swat at each other with their long front claws, or kick out with their strong back legs, armed with that powerful central claw. When one male backs down, the other will stop attacking. They may then casually scratch themselves, and resume feeding.