Aussie icons
Australian’s love furry animals. Cuddly koalas and bouncing kangaroos are popular with everyone in Australia. Many people think the kangaroo is the icon of Australian animals. They have an incredible ability to bounce, forward facing pouches, and a tail that’s so strong it acts as a third leg. A mob of kangaroos are considerably more interesting to watch than the koala who sleeps twenty-two hours of the day. Does this earn them the title of icon? You decide.
In 1968 the first Australian TV series to feature a native Australian animal was Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
Kangaroos huge feet
Kangaroos could be considered Australia’s version of Bigfoot because of the size and strength of their feet (kangaroos are from the Macropodidae family – which means ‘large foot’). These powerful feet help propel them effortlessly over long distances, helping to preserve energy in their search for food in the dry arid regions of Australia. The longest recorded jump was a female Red Kangaroo who leapt a massive 12.8m (42 feet). (1)
Their feet are also powerful tools used for fighting predators as well as other kangaroos, usually over food, territory or during the mating season.
The current name of ‘kangaroo’ came from the first meeting of Captain Cook and members of the Endeavour crew, with the Guugu Yimidhirr people. When asked what this strange new creature was called, they were told, ‘gangurru’. (2) Say it out loud and you can hear how it developed into the word ‘kangaroo’.
Indigenous Australians and kangaroos
The kangaroo has always played an important part in the life of indigenous people. The meat was eagerly sought after and with its low fat content, high level of protein, zinc, iron and omega 3 fats, it was a healthy addition to the diet.
But the indigenous people consider the kangaroo much more than just a food source. Some groups consider the kangaroo as a totem. The Palawa people of Tasmania have a strong kinship with the kangaroo who they believe was there at creation.
Indigenous people used the kangaroo skin to make cloaks for warmth and protection. The fur, bone and gristle were used for making ornaments, weapons, and ceremonial objects. The long sinew of a kangaroo tail was kept for use as binding when making clothes and other items.
Kangaroo symbolism
This love of kangaroos has continued into modern Australia. The kangaroo and emu are on the Australian Coat of Arms. They were chosen because both these species have trouble moving backwards and would therefore symbolise the nation of Australia moving forward. The kangaroo is also found on the 50c and $1 coins in Australia. The Australian airline Qantas has proudly used the kangaroo in their logo since 1944. (3) More recently the British food delivery company Deliveroo has used the kangaroo to symbolise how speedy their service is.
The speedy kangaroo
And kangaroos are speedy. They can travel at a comfortable 20km an hour but have been recorded at 70km for short periods of time. This makes them the fastest animal in Australia, leaving the emu behind with its maximum speed of around 50km.
In many ways, colonisation has helped the kangaroo increase in number – from farmer’s dams placed in arid regions, to the cultivation of land which has increased the kangaroo’s food source. These herbivores have had little trouble adapting to the new way of life. Living in their mobs and with acute hearing, it would require a stealthy approach to be a threat to them.
There’s so much more to these big-footed icons than first meets the eye. It’s worth taking the time to visit these unique animals either in the wild or at any of the Australian native wildlife parks.
Kanga Facts
- Nine out of ten animal/car collisions in Australia involve kangaroos.
- Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning “large foot”).
- There are twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia.
- There are four species of kangaroo: red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo and the western grey kangaroo.
- Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea.
- A baby kangaroo, called a joey, is 2.5cm at birth.
References
3. https://www.qantas.com/au/en/about-us/our-company/logos.html