Red Kangaroo

The red kangaroo is exposed to extremely high temperatures in its native habitat of Australia. To avoid overheating, it rests or sleeps in the shade during the heat of the day. It is most active in the cool of the evening, at night and dawn. It can also cool down by licking its forearms. As the saliva evaporates it carries away body heat.

The red kangaroo is the largest and heaviest of all kangaroo species. More than half of its body weight is made up of muscles. The powerful thigh muscles provide the animal with strong propulsion that allow it to jump up to 3 m high and a distance of 12 m, and reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.

The red kangaroo’s favourite food is grass. Its stomach is adapted to digest food rich in plant cellulose with the help of beneficial gut bacteria.