The Kangaroo is a common marsupial from the islands of Australia and New Guinea. There are 47 species of "roos." Kangaroos can hop up to 40 miles per hour (74 kph) and go over 30 feet (9 m) in one hop. These shy animals live about 6 years in the wild and up to 20 in captivity. Most roos are nocturnal (active at night). Many roos are in danger of extinction, but they are also considered pests due to the way they damage crops. An adult male is called a buck, boomer or jack; an adult female is called a doe, flyer, roo, or jill. A baby is called a joey. A group of roos is called a mob. Anatomy: Roos and wallabies range in size from 2 pounds (the Rock Wallaby) up to 6 ft and 300 pounds (the Red Kangaroo). The soft, woolly fur can be blue, grey, red, black, yellow or brown, depending on the species. The female kangaroo gives birth to extremely undeveloped offspring. The young of kangaroos complete their development in a pocketlike pouch on the belly of the mother. Diet: These herbivores (plant-eaters) eat grass, leaves, and roots. They swallow their food without chewing it and later regurgitate a cud and chew it. Roos need little water; they can go for months without drinking, and they dig their own water wells.

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(Below are the Vocabulary Words from the Passage Above)

Marsupials:	Marsupials are pouched mammals whose babies are born in a
	very undeveloped state; the young then attach themselves to their mother's nipple. Many marsupials have a pouch that encloses the young. The biggest marsupial is the human-sized red kangaroo. The male is up to 4.6 ft (1.4 m) long, weighing up to 150 pounds (68 kg). Females are smaller, up to 3.6ft (1.1 m) long, weighing up to 80 pounds (36 kg). The smallest marsupial, the "pilbara." It's so small it would fit in a person's hand. Some commonly-known marsupials include the kangaroo, opossum, Tasmanian devil, and koala. The only marsupial in North America is the Virginia opossum.

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Australia	Australia is nicknamed "The Land Down Under."
	It is one of the world's seven continents. It is also the world's smallest continent. This continent-country-island has an area of 2,966,368 square miles (7,682,300 square kilometers). Australia has a population of about 19 million people. Australia's Flag Capital of Australia: Canberra Largest Cities: Sydney is the largest city in Australia; it has over 3,935,000 people. Other large cities include Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Newcastle. The Great Barrier Reef: Off the eastern coast of Queensland is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef on Earth. This warm, clear, shallow ocean habitat is over 1,000 miles long, and is home to many animals and plants, including corals, sea anemones, sea stars, fish (including sharks), sea slugs, giant clams, seaweed, and many other organisms. The Tallest Mountain: Australia's tallest peak is Mount Kosciuszko, which is 7,310 feet (2,228 m) tall. Mount Kosciuszko is located in southeastern Australia, near Canberra, in the Great Dividing Range. The Lowest Point: Lake Eyre is Australia's lowest point. It is 53 feet (16 m) below sea level. Lake Eyre is located in South Australia. The Largest Body of Water: Lake Eyre is Australia's largest body of water - it is a salt water lake that covers over 3,430 square miles (8,884-9,500 square kilometes), although it is generally dry. Lake Eyre is located in South Australia. The Longest River: Australia's longest river is the Murray-Darling River, in New South Wales, which flows for 2,911 miles (4,685 km) into the Indian Ocean. The Largest Island (other than Australia itself): Tasmania, located off the southeastern coast of mainland Australia, covers 26,383 square miles (68,332 square kilometers). Tasmania's tallest peak is Mt. Ossa, which is 5,305 feet (1,617 m) above sea level. Rainforest: The eastern coast of Australia is covered by lush tropical rainforests. The Great Dividing Range, a mountain range that runs north-south along Australia's eastern coast, causes a lot of rain to fall of the east coast (and blocks rain from the interior of the continent). Desert: The interior of Australia is covered largely by scrub and desert, called the outback. The Great Dividing Range, a mountain range that runs north-south along Australia's eastern coast, blocks rain from the interior of the continent. Largest Monolith: The world's largest monolith, Uluru (formerly called Ayers Rock) is located in central Australia, in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is a sacred aboriginal sight and a world-famous landmark. It is 348 m tall and is made of sandstone.

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Nocturnal	Nocturnal animals are more active at night than during the day.
	These animals sleep during the day, often in a burrow or den. Many animals, like desert animals, are nocturnal in order to escape extreme daytime heat. Special Adaptations: Nocturnal animal have special adaptations that help them survive in the dark. Many nocturnal animals, like owls, lemurs, and cats, have special eyes that see well in the dark. Some nocturnal animals, like bats, use echolocation, in which the animal emits a high-pitched sound which bounces off objects; the sound is then received by the animal, giving it information about the object's shape, direction, distance, and texture. Other nocturnal animals (like rabbits) have good hearing.

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Extinction	Endangered animals are those species that are in danger
	of going "extinct." Their reproductive rates are lower than their mortality rates over long periods of time, so their numbers are diminishing. The reasons for this are varied, but lately, very often involves a loss of habitat as people encroach on their living areas. When a species is listed as endangered or threatened, it is not a death sentence. Many animals, like the bald eagle and the American alligator, were on the brink of extinction and are now recovering. Many species, however, will not recover, and could be lost forever. Throughout time, animal species have been going extinct (long before people evolved); paleontologists estimate that well over 90 percent of all plant and animal species that ever existed have gone extinct.

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Wallabies	Wallabies are marsupials from the islands of Australia,
	Tasmania, New Zealand (introduced), and New Guinea. They are small- to medium-sized kangaroos. There are 30 different types of wallabies that live in many types of habitats, including rocky areas, grasslands, forests and swamps. Some wallabies include the Quokka, Nabarlek, and the Pandemelon. Anatomy: Wallabies range in size from the size of a rabbit to almost 6 ft (1.8 m) long. The soft, woolly fur can be gray, brown, red or almost black. The belly is lighter. Females (called fliers) have a pouch in which the young live and drink milk. Males (called boomers) are larger than females. Babies are called joeys. They have short arms with clawed fingers. strong, legs, and long, four-toed feet with claws. They can hop and jump with their powerful legs. Diet: These herbivores (plant-eaters) eat grass, leaves, and roots. They swallow their food without chewing it and later regurgitate a cud and chew it. They need very little water; they can go for months without drinking, and they dig their own water wells.

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