There are various kinds of kangaroos. The largest kangaroo measures about nine feet from nose to tail-tip. The smallest type is the size of a large rabbit. The wallaby and wallaroo are also types of kangaroos. These animals are found only in Australia and nearby islands. They are grass-eaters and move about on four feet while eating. When resting, they sit back on their hind feet, using their strong tails as support. Their tails also balance them when they leap. The larger kangaroos can leap more than twenty feet.
Kangaroos are the best known of the marsupials. The female marsupial carries its baby in a pouch on the abdomen. The gestation period of the female kangaroo is three weeks, and the inch-long baby is still under-developed and embryo-like when born. The baby, or joey, finds its way to the mother's pouch, where it remains for about six months. It then is big enough to jump out, and it returns to the pouch only when hungry or tired.
