Kangaroo

The red kangaroo is the largest living marsupial and an emblem of Australia. Males — 'big reds' — can stand two metres tall and cover eight metres in a single hop, using their massive tail as a balance and a third leg when sitting.

Kangaroos cannot walk backwards, a fact enshrined in Australian coat-of-arms symbolism alongside the emu. They gather in mobs on open grassland, grazing at dusk and dawn, and have thrived in the outback alongside sheep and cattle stations.

Arid and semi-arid grassland across the Australian interior suits red kangaroos. They need open plains for grazing and shade from heat, and are common across the outback, though eastern grey kangaroos dominate coastal regions.