roo

Roo is a common shorthand for kangaroo, the large marsupials in the family Macropodidae native to Australia and nearby regions such as New Guinea. The group comprises more than 50 species, including the red kangaroo and the eastern and western grey kangaroos. Kangaroos vary in size, with the red kangaroo being the largest member of the group.

Kangaroos have a stout body, powerful hind legs, a long muscular tail used for balance and support, and relatively small forelimbs. They hop as their primary mode of locomotion, an efficient gait for traveling long distances across open country. The hind legs and tail work together to propel and stabilize each bound, giving kangaroos a distinctive bounding style.

Their diet is herbivorous, consisting mainly of grasses and other vegetation. Kangaroos have a specialized digestive system that processes fibrous plant material through foregut fermentation, allowing them to extract nutrients efficiently in arid and semi-arid environments.

Reproduction occurs in females with a forward pouch in which the young, called a joey, continues development after birth. A newborn joey crawls into the pouch to nurse and grow, often remaining there for several months. In some species, females can delay the development of a subsequent embryo, enabling rapid return to pregnancy in favorable conditions.

Conservation status varies by species; most kangaroo species are widespread and not endangered, but habitat loss and changes in land use can threaten local populations. In culture, the term roo appears in Australian slang and literature, and Roo is also a well-known character in Winnie-the-Pooh.