Kangaroo

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Date Submitted: 08/19/2010 03:35 AM

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|Kangaroos are native to the Australian continent and to parts of Papua New Guinea. Most species are only found in Australia.|

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|There are over 60 different species of kangaroo and their close relatives. While it is impossible to determine the exact |

|number of kangaroos in Australia, the population of the four most common species is thought to be more than 50 million. All |

|kangaroos belong to the super-family Macropodidae (or macropods, meaning 'great-footed').  The macropod family includes |

|kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons, tree-kangaroos and forest wallabies. These species are also found in Papua  New|

|Guinea. |

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Species in the macropod family vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from 0.5 kilograms (1.1 pounds) to 90 kilograms (200 pounds). The Potoroinae (potoroid) family of kangaroos includes the potoroo, bettong and rat-kangaroo. This family of kangaroos lives only in Australia.

Kangaroos of different types live in all of the diverse areas of Australia, from cold-climate rainforests and desert plains to tropical areas.

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|Kangaroos are herbivorous, eating a range of plants, and in some cases fungi. Most |[pic] |

|are nocturnal but some are active in the early morning and late afternoon. Different | |

|kangaroo species live in a range of different environments. Potoroids, for example, | |

|make nests...