What & How Kangaroos Eat

Kangaroo are marsupials belonging to the family Macropodidae that are indigenous to Australia. They are herbivores and have been known to destroy crops and be a nuisance animal to farms, consuming crops and pastures. Often they are found on the side of a road, victims of speeding vehicles.

  1. Habitat

    • The kangaroo roam on the open plains and scrublands of Australia. They have a wide variety of diet, depending on the breed of kangaroo and where it lives. Kangaroos are fairly common to see in the wild. Usually they are spotted in the early mornings and late afternoons, when they are most active and take the time to graze.

    Eating Habits of Wild Kangaroos

    • There are three types of kangaroo native to Australia. The big red kangaroo is native to Western Australia, and are one of the worlds largest known marsupials. The red kangaroo lives in the open woodlands, grasslands and desert regions. The eastern gray kangaroo can be found in eastern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and in northastern Tasmania. They roam the coastal plains, forests and woodlands. Finally, there is the Western Grey Kangaroo. It lives in western New South Wales and Victoria, as well as southern South Australia and Western Australia. It prefers to live in arid woodland and scrubland areas. The diet of the kangaroo is consisted of grass, scrubs and broad-leaved plants. They can live in large mobs consisting of many hundreds of individuals, and can live to be up to 20 years old.

    Captive Kangaroos

    • Kangaroos that are brought up in captivity or in zoos dine on a diet of alfalfa and pellet food. Pellet food is a specially formulated food with all the nutrients the kangaroos need. As a special treat, they consume things like beets, carrots, broccoli, raisins, bananas and apples. They also get fed greens such as dandelions and romaine lettuce.

    Feeding Techniques

    • Kangaroos are natural grazers. Kangaroos normally graze on their food the same way horses, cattle, goats and sheep do. Sometimes, if they need to reach something in a bush or tree, they can use their paws to grasp, tear away the food and then feed themselves. Their paws each have five fingers of the same size with sharp claws.