# Eastern Grey Kangaroo

*Macropus giganteus*

They use their muscular tail as a 'fifth leg' for balance while walking and as a tripod while standing still.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Diprotodontia › Macropodidae › Macropus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Open woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands of eastern Australia.
- **Diet:** Herbivorous, primarily consuming various grasses and forbs.
- **Range:** Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania
- **Size:** Up to 2.1 meters tall and 66 kilograms.
- **Lifespan:** 8-12 years in the wild.
- **Active:** crepuscular
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and extreme drought.
- **Safe to approach?:** Generally shy but can be defensive; large males may kick or scratch if cornered. Maintain a 10-15m distance. Do not feed. If approached aggressively, crouch low and retreat slowly. Seek medical help for deep scratches or blunt trauma from kicks.

## About

The eastern grey kangaroo ( Macropus giganteus ) is a marsupial found in the eastern third of Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the great grey kangaroo and the forester kangaroo . Although a big eastern grey male can typically weigh up to 69 kg (152 lb) and have a length of well over 2 m (6 ft 7 in), the scientific name, Macropus giganteus (gigantic large-foot), is misleading: the red kangaroo of the semi-arid inland is larger,...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/c1547088-bb07-4ab0-8f18-73357311a17a
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42888
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern grey kangaroo
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/53221252/medium.jpg (Shane Walker, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.