Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long, strong tail, and small front legs. Eastern grey kangaroos can be found on the eastern coastlines of Australia, all of Queensland with the exception of western Cape York, South Wales, and parts of Tasmania, most notably the north eastern portion. Kangaroos use their strong tails for balance while jumping. Kangaroos live in groups called mobs. Matschie's tree kangaroos live in mountainous cloud forests at elevations of up to 11,000 feet. In their native country of Australia, western grey kangaroo females are known as does or fliers, the males as boomers or stinkers due to their strong, curry-like smell, and the young as joeys. - KGKB6T from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Download this stock image: A western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus, with baby peaking out of pouch. National Geographic explores the people, places and events of our world. Western grey kangaroos eat grasses, forbs, leaves, tree bark, and shrubby browse. The species is known from only 13 sites in western Kangaroo Island, Hodgens says, and all of those locations have now been burned, some beyond recognition. Eastern grey kangaroos range throughout QLD and NSW, as well as other states in the eastern part of Australia including Victoria (VIC), parts of Tasmania (TAS), and the extreme eastern part of South Australia, and prefer open-woodland habitat that provides adequate grass cover for forage and shade for rest during the heat of the day [28–31]. Kangaroo facts for kids: learn about these mega marsupials with facts about kangaroo characteristics, size, habitat, diet and behaviour, plus pictures. These kangaroos are the most vocal of the three large kangaroo species. This kangaroo requires very little water and is able to survive on plants high in fiber. They use microorganisms in an organ called the cecum to digest the cellulose of plants. A western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus, with baby peaking out of pouch [ + ] [ - ] ID : 627094 Jak Wonderly / National Geographic National Geographic showcases leading explorers, scientists, environmentalists, film … Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos can leap some 30 feet (9 meters) in a single bound, and travel more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour . Western grey kangaroos are nicknamed “stinkers.” Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark Accustomed to such scenes, he expected the joey to be dead as well, but when he discovered that the youngster—about 11 months old at the time—was still alive, he rushed her into the capable hands of Des Lanthois, a volunteer with the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network. They spend most of their time in trees. The eastern grey kangaroo is the second largest species and is known as the great grey species, while the western grey kangaroo is also known as the black-faced kangaroo due to its distinctive facial coloring. Eastern gray kangaroos roam the forests of Australia and Tasmania and prefer to live among the trees, though they do take to open grasslands for grazing. From 2008 to 2013, Wendy King, a doctoral student at the University of Queensland, and her colleagues studied wild grey kangaroos in a national park in Victoria, Australia. It burned in the December fire, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Hodgens says. Geographic Range. Kangaroos belong to the animal family Macropus, literally "big foot." The antilopine's name means antelope-like and they are found in northern Australia. This one was lucky. Tree kangaroos primarily eat tree leaves.