Fun Antilopine Kangaroo Facts For Kids

Antilopine kangaroos, also known as antilopine wallaroo, are comparatively smaller than the red kangaroo (Macropus Rufus). This species of kangaroo is found in large numbers in the northern territory of Australia especially near the Cape York Peninsula and Queensland, and in the Western region. The physical features of the Macropus antilopinus are much more prominent than the red kangaroo or the eastern grey kangaroo. This species of kangaroo has a lean face and cute little eyes. It's easy to differentiate the male from his female counterpart; the male has a reddish tan upper part and white in the lower region while a female has a faded grey upper part.  

An antilopine wallaby is a fast hopper and has immense strength. A male kangaroo Macropus can weigh up to 154 lb (70 kg) while a female can weigh up to 66 lb (30 kg). They are one of the fastest Australian marsupials and you will find them in groups and, the groups might consist of just males or just females.

If you enjoy reading about antilopine kangaroos, you can read our binturong facts and gerenuk facts.

What type of animal is an antilopine kangaroo?

An antilopine kangaroo, also known as the Macropus antilopinus, is a kangaroo species found in tropical regions of northern Australia and Western Australia.

What class of animal does an antilopine kangaroo belong to?

Antilopine kangaroos are marsupials falling under the family Macropodidae. The scientific name of an antilopine wallaroo is Osphranter antilopinus.

How many antilopine kangaroos are there in the world?

The exact number of the population of antilopine wallaroo is unknown but according to statistics, the number of these kangaroos is decreasing.

Where does an antilopine kangaroo live?

You will find this species of kangaroos living in numbers in the savannah woodlands and valleys. You will find them grazing in the wet region near rivers and on open grasslands.

What is an antilopine kangaroo's habitat?

The antilopine kangaroo habitat is widespread. You will find them in Northern Australia, near Kimberly in Western Australia, and the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the Cape York Peninsula.

Who do antilopine kangaroos live with?

You will find this species of kangaroo living in groups of around 30. You will find both the male and the female kangaroos living together and helping each other grow and get accustomed to the habitat. The males are usually the dominant ones and are seen fighting with each other to prove their worth to the females. Once, a joey is born, the males and the females segregate to form two separate groups.

How long does an antilopine kangaroo live?

This species of kangaroo lives up to 16 years of age.

How do they reproduce?

To reproduce, a male should mate with several females. To attract females, you will see the males fighting with each other during the onset of the mating season. Breeding or mating takes place during the wet season (December). Male wallaroo kangaroos fully mature by the age of two, while female wallaroo kangaroos attain sexual maturity within 16 months and the pouch is seen developing after 20 months.  

The gestation period lasts for 35 days and only one offspring is born during each breeding season. Once the joey starts to mature, it crawls towards the pouch and eventually comes out of the pouch after 20 weeks. The young kangaroo finally comes out of the pouch after six months and once it is out, the mother doesn't allow the offspring to go back inside the pouch after 37 weeks.  

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, these kangaroos have been listed as Least Concern. There has been a gradual decrease in the population of this species but they are not yet been listed as extinct.  

What do antilopine kangaroos look like?

Antilopine kangaroos are one of five species of kangaroos. These kangaroos are slightly smaller in size compared to other Australian kangaroos. It's easy to differentiate between males and females. The males are seen having reddish-tan upper parts and white below. On the other hand, the females are seen with faded grey upper parts. Both the male and the females have slim faces and slim limbs. The females have a grey patch or stripe just underneath the head and a lighter shade of grey inside the ear. You will also notice that the color of the hind legs is much darker compared to that of its lower limb. The females develop a mother's pouch once they are 20 months old and they carry their offspring f0r not more than 37 weeks after the joey is born.

How cute are they?

These kangaroos living in the tropical region have slender-looking faces and are much more elegant than other species. Their swollen noses and squinting eyes makes their face look even cuter and a young joey is a treat to the eyes.

How do they communicate?

When these kangaroos sense any type of danger, they either use hissing sounds or growl. When the mother wants to communicate with the young joey she will use clicking sounds. And, when males want to woe females, they chuckle.

How big is an antilopine kangaroo?

A male kangaroos is almost 47 in (120 cm) in height and their tails are no longer than 35.43  in (90 cm). On the other hand, females are almost 43 in (110 cm), and their tails are not longer than 27.5 in (70 cm). The exact length of the feet of the kangaroo is unknown but they have really strong feet which give them the ability to jump really high.

How fast can an antilopine kangaroo run?

An Antilopine Kangaroo can run as fast as mph 43 mph (70 kph).

How much does an antilopine kangaroo weigh?

The antilopine kangaroo weight varies between 44-108 lb (20-49 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Both the male and the female species of this kangaroo are known by the same name. The scientific name of this genus is Osphranter Antilopinus.

What would you call a baby antilopine kangaroo?

A baby Antilopine kangaroo is known as a joey.

What do they eat?

Since these kangaroos are herbivores, their diet is limited. Their diet includes short grass, especially low tussock grass or the trees which have been burned down because of a forest fire.

Would they make a good pet?

Antilopine kangaroos or in that state any other species of kangaroos are not meant to be tamed. They might look timid but they are actually very aggressive and can cause harm to humans. In recent times, kangaroos have become victims of poaching and that has made taming kangaroos illegal.

Did you know...

Antilopine kangaroos have the ability to move their ears in various directions without moving their head.

The females have the ability to discover the sex of the joey before it is born.

Kangaroos have the ability to jump three times higher than their height.

How many different types of kangaroos are there?

There are four different species of kangaroos: the Reg Kangaroos, Antilopine Kangaroos, Western Grey Kangaroos, and Eastern Grey Kangaroos.

Red Kangaroos are the largest species present and are found in central Australia. They have immense strength. The males are reddish-brown in color while the females are bluish-grey.

Antilopine Kangaroos are found in northern Australia. They are slimmer and a bit smaller compared to that of the red kangaroo, but they are really fast and powerful hoppers. The color of the male of this species is similar to that of the red kangaroo but the female is seen as having a faded grey color. On the other hand, the female is comparatively shorter.

Western grey kangaroos are seen in Southern Australia and they are comparatively smaller than red kangaroos and both the sexes are seen having brown fur and a pale chest.

Eastern grey kangaroos, as the name suggests is seen in Eastern Australia. You will see them in mountainous regions and they look quite like the Western Kangaroo but they have a much paler face and a black tip at the end of the tail.

How does the antilopine kangaroo bear its young?

The mating time for these kangaroos is during the wet season in December. The female develops their pouch when at 20 months old. The mother keeps the young inside the mother's pouch till the 36th week. The baby gradually comes out of the pouch after 6 months. The mother doesn't allow the baby to stay inside the pouch after 37 weeks.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these red kangaroo facts and marsupials facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Antilopine kangaroo coloring pages.