The family name Macropodidae derives from macropods, meaning “big or large footed.”
The word kangaroo comes from the aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr people’s word for the gray kangaroo (gangurru). The word was first recorded as “Kangooroo or Kanguru” in 1770 by British explorer James Cook.
A long-standing myth says that the kangaroo’s name actually derives from a miscommunication between Cook and the aboriginal peoples. When Cook asked the locals the name of the species, they responded with the word “kangaroo”—supposedly translating to “I don’t know.” This, however, was not the case.
A male kangaroo is called a buck, boomer, or jack and a female is referred to as a doe, flyer, or jill. A group of kangaroos (usually ten or more roos) is known as a mob, troop, or court.
A kangaroo has excellent hearing. Like a cat, a kangaroo swivels its ears to pick up sounds.
A kangaroo is unable to walk backwards.
The kangaroo is represented on the Australian Coat of Arms, alongside the emu.