How many kangaroos are there in the wild?

Answer 1

It is not known how many kangaroos have been introduced to other parts of the world. The term "kangaroo" includes some 60 or more species, including the tree kangaroos in New Guinea, and the wallaby which has been introduced to New Zealand.

There are millions of kangaroos just in Australia. They are a very common sight in the outback, bushland and even the fringes of some settlements.

Kangaroo populations vary widely from year to year in Australia, due entirely to whether the regions are in a flood year or a drought year. Figures across the entire continent of Australia are not available. Some figures are available for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2011, across these four states alone, there were approximately 11.514 million red kangaroos, 2.348 million western grey kangaroos, 16.057 million eastern grey kangaroos and 4.383 million wallaroos. This is a grand total of over 34 million kangaroos. Figures for Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria are not included.

These figures do not take into account all the smaller members of the kangaroo family, including wallaroos, all the species of wallabies, quokkas, rufous rat-kangaroos and pademelons right down to the tiny desert-dwelling musky rat kangaroos.

Answer 2

It is not known how many kangaroos are on Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island was originally named for its kangaroos, which provided an abundant supply of fresh meat for sea explorer Matthew Flinders and his crew when they had been living off salted meat for four months. However, following European settlement, the kangaroo, like many of the native animal populations, dwindled greatly in numbers. There are some populations, but they are not as noticeable as the introduced koala population, which has thrived due to the absence of predators on the island.

Answer 3

Rat kangaroos are members of the Potoroidae family, which belong to the group known as Kangaroos, and are completely different to the kangaroo rats of North America. The term "bettong" and/or "potoroo" are sometimes used interchangeably with the term "rat-kangaroo". Thus, there can be considered to be either one of two surviving species of rat-kangaroos:

• Rufous Rat-Kangaroo, also known as the Rufous Bettong or Woylie
• Musky Rat-Kangaroo

The Desert rat-kangaroo (also known as the Buff-nosed Rat-kangaroo or the Plains Rat-kangaroo) was another species. The last confirmed record of the Desert rat-kangaroo was in 1935 near Ooroowilanie, east of Lake Eyre, but some scientists believe that, as it is/was a very elusive creature it could still exist in the remote desert.

Answer 4

There are millions of kangaroos in Australia. They are a very common sight in the outback, bushland and even the fringes of some settlements.

Kangaroo populations vary widely from year to year in Australia. For example, due to drought conditions, Red kangaroo numbers in one area of NSW dropped from 500,000 in 2002 to 110,000 in 2005.

2007 figures for the kangaroo and wallaroo/euro populations in Australia estimated there were 24,008,610 members of both species in NSW, Qld, South Australia and Western Australia. These figures are only for areas where kangaroos are permitted to be harvested; areas outside the harvest area are not included. Figures for Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria are not included.

These figures do not take into account all the smaller members of the kangaroo family, including wallaroos, all the species of wallabies, quokkas, rufous rat-kangaroos and pademelons right down to the tiny desert-dwelling musky rat kangaroos. See link for more details.

The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia suggests that, in 2002, there were an estimated 58.6 million Kangaroos in Australia. This number continues to fluctuate with the seasons, but gives a fair estimate of how many kangaroos there are in any given year.

Answer 5

There are millions of kangaroos in the wild in Australia. They are a very common sight in the outback, bushland and even the fringes of some settlements.

Kangaroo populations vary widely from year to year in Australia, due entirely to whether the regions are in a flood year or a drought year. Figures across the entire continent of Australia are not available. Some figures are available for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2011, across these four states alone, there were approximately 11.514 million red kangaroos, 2.348 million western grey kangaroos, 16.057 million eastern grey kangaroos and 4.383 million wallaroos. This is a grand total of over 34 million kangaroos. Figures for Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria are not included.

These figures do not take into account all the smaller members of the kangaroo family, including wallaroos, all the species of wallabies, quokkas, rufous rat-kangaroos and pademelons right down to the tiny desert-dwelling musky rat kangaroos.

Answer 6

Kangaroo populations vary widely throughout Australia from season to season, according to the environmental conditions. In 2011, there were approximately 1.15 million red kangaroos, 674000 western grey kangaroos and 495000 wallaroos in South Australia. This does not include the many wallaby species found there, or pademelons.

Answer 7

There are about 63 species of kangaroo in Australia. All but the tree-kangaroos are native to Australia alone.

There are many varieties of kangaroo which come under the heading of "macropod". Members of the macropod family are characterised by their big feet ("macropod" means "great-footed"), their front pouches, and the fact that they move primarily by hopping.

There are four main species that are commonly called kangaroo. These are:

• The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) - This is the largest marsupial in the world and the most common in Australia.
• The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - This species ranges over the fertile eastern part of the continent.
• The Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) - This species is found in the southern part of west Australia, near the coast of South Australia and the Darling River basin.
• The Antilopine Kangaroo (Macropus antilopinus) - This species is found in the far north of Australia. They inhabit grassy plains and woodlands.

Other species of kangaroos are smaller, and they include:

• Wallabies, including different species of rock-wallaby, brush wallaby and swamp wallaby
• Quokkas, once thought to be a type of wallaby, but now regarded as another separate group
• Musky-rat kangaroo (the smallest of all kangaroos)
• Tree kangaroos, which live in trees, although they can easily jump to the ground from 6m up and escape along the ground if threatened. There are numerous species of tree-kangaroos. They have shorter hind legs and a long, non-prehensile tail which they use as a rudder for jumping between tree branches. They are the only type also found in New Guinea.
• Pademelons, which are the smallest of the macropod family. There are many different varities of pademelons.
• Wallaroos and euros, which come in between wallabies and kangaroos in size. They are characterised by a more thickset body, and are darker around the snout.

Then there are the potoroids - a sub-species of the kangaroo family. Examples include:

• Rat-kangaroos, which look like oversized rats around the face and ears. There are various species of these, such as the Musky rat-kangaroo and the Rufous rat-kangaroo. Rat kangaroos are different to the kangaroo-rats of North America, and not at all related.
• Potoroos, which are small and quite endangered. Gilbert's Potoroo is the most threatened marsupial species in Australia.
• Bettongs which, like the potoroo, are sometimes included in with the rat-kangaroos. They are quite small, usually weighing only a couple of kilograms when mature.

Answer 8

It is not known how many kangaroos have been introduced to other parts of the world. The term "kangaroo" includes some 60 or more species, including the tree kangaroos in New Guinea, and the wallaby which has been introduced to New Zealand.

There are millions of kangaroos just in Australia. They are a very common sight in the outback, bushland and even the fringes of some settlements. Kangaroo populations vary widely from year to year in Australia, due entirely to whether the regions are in a flood year or a drought year. Figures across the entire continent of Australia are not available. Some figures are available for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2011, across these four states alone, there were approximately 11.514 million red kangaroos, 2.348 million western grey kangaroos, 16.057 million eastern grey kangaroos and 4.383 million wallaroos. This is a grand total of over 34 million kangaroos. Figures for Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria are not included.

These figures do not take into account all the smaller members of the kangaroo family, including wallaroos, all the species of wallabies, quokkas, rufous rat-kangaroos and pademelons right down to the tiny desert-dwelling musky rat kangaroos.

Answer 9

A group of kangaroos is called a mob, and the numbers can vary enormously. It can be as small as two (usually a mother and joey) or up to 100.