How the Kangaroo got its name...

When European explorers first saw these strange hopping animals they asked a native Australian (aborigine) what they were called.
He replied "kangaroo" meaning "I don't understand" your question.
The explorers thought this was the animal's name. And that's how the kangaroo got its name.

Marsupial Mammal

Kangaroos are the largest members of a group of mammals known as marsupials, which means the female carries its young in a pouch on the stomach.

The Kangaroo moves by hopping on its powerful hind legs. It uses its thick long tail (which on larger species grows up tp 3 feet) to balance its body while hopping. A kangaroo can hop up to 64kmh (40mph) and leap over obstacles as high as 1.8m (6ft). Because of the unusual shape of its legs and its bulky tail a kangaroo can't walk or move backwards very easily.

The female gives birth to tiny offspring (1 inch long), when they are born their eyes, ears and hind legs are not developed. Immediately after birth the joey crawls up its mothers abdomen and into her pouch, where it attaches itself to a nipple and feeds of her milk. The joey will leave the pouch for the first time after about 6 months, returning regularly. After 8 months it leaves permanently - Within a day the mother gives birth to another joey!

Different Species living in the wild in Australia.
FACTS...

Antelope Kangaroo: Roam the plains of Northern Australia.

Eastern Gray Kangaroo:Adults stand about 6 feet (1.8m) tall, and weigh about 45 Kilograms.
...They live mainly in woodlands and forests.

Western Gray Kangaroo: Adults stand about 6 feet (1.8m) tall, and weigh about 45 Kilograms.
...They live mainly in woodlands and forests.

Red Kangaroo: Adults stand about 6 feet (1.8m) tall, and weigh about 45 Kilograms (some males have been known to grow to 7 feet and weigh more than 68 Kilograms.
...They live in the deserts and dry grasslands of Central Australia.
...If food or water is scare they live in groups called "Mobs"

Wallaroo: Live on dry, rocky hills.

There are also over 40 different species of smaller Kangaroo, living in Australia and the neighbouring islands.