Most kangaroos feed at dawn and dusk, and they often travel through forests to get to feeding grounds. This can prove dangerous in areas where there are roads. Kangaroos can be difficult for car drivers to see. Each year in Australia, there are about 20,000 car-kangaroo collisions.

 

An Australian car maker has developed ‘Robo Roo’ to help research ways to improve safety. Robo Roo is made from metal and plastic and is covered with leather. Robo Roo can be posed in a sitting or hopping position or even propped up on polystyrene bricks to mimic being ‘mid-leap’.

In 2002, in outback Western Australia, palaeontologists found the remains of the world’s largest kangaroo. This rounder-faced kangaroo was approximately three metres tall. It had sharp front teeth, powerful shearing teeth and a pair of retractable claws. The palaeontologists also found the remains of a smaller kangaroo that appears to have had horns. The kangaroos may be between 46,000 and 1.75 million years old.