Kangaroo Facts: If you lift the kangaroo tail off the ground, it won't be able to jump

There is no Australian animal more famous than a cute kangaroo. You may be familiar with these jumping marsupials, but we bet you don't know these wonderful facts.

If you lift the kangaroo tail off the ground, it won't be able to jump

Kangaroos use their tails for balance, and they jump with their legs and not their tails, but if you catch the kangaroo's tail, you will have control over it, as although it tries to jump then it can't.

This is the best way to control a kangaroo if it tries to attack you: grab its tail and beat it, but the problem is that sooner or later you have to leave it.

Kangaroos use their tails as a fifth leg

When kangaroos move in small areas at a slow pace, they often merge their tail as a fifth leg. It may sound strange, but research on red kangaroos shows that their large muscular tails can provide a driving force equivalent to that of their front and back legs combined.

When a kangaroo needs to move more than about 15 feet, it usually does not use the tail but rather starts jumping.

Kangaroos can't jump or walk backwards

Unlike many other animals, kangaroos cannot rotate or move their hind legs independently of each other. In other words, kangaroos need to rotate their entire body in order to change direction.

Moreover, their long tails act as a counterweight, helping them while jumping forward but making it difficult for them to move backwards.

Kangaroo left-handed

Humans and some other primates appear "manual (i.e., using one hand)," or the tendency to use one hand more naturally than the other. Scientists once thought this was a unique feature of primate evolution, but recent research suggests that using one-handed is also common in kangaroos.

Based on research on red kangaroos, oriental grey kangaroos, and red-necked wallabies, the researchers found that animals use their left hand in the first place, and that hand is used for tasks such as grooming and eating about 95% of the time. Her hands also seem to specialize in different types of work, with a kangaroo usually using his left hand for precise work, while his right is used for strength. The researchers say this challenges the idea that using one hand is unique to primates, suggesting that this characteristic could have resulted from an adaptation to bipedal walking.

Kangaroos are the largest marsupial on earth

Kangaroos are the largest marsupial surviving marsupials today. The largest kangaroo species (by weight) is the red kangaroo, which can grow up to more than five feet long — not including the three-foot-long tail — and weigh 180 pounds. Eastern grey kangaroos can be taller, with some adult males reaching nearly seven feet, but it's also slender, weighing just 120 pounds. Red, eastern gray and western gray kangaroo are the most common species.

Sometimes kangaroos drown their enemies

Kangaroos don't have many natural predators in Australia, especially after the extinction of large carnivores such as Tasmanian tigers and marsupial lions. Few animals are known to prey on kangaroos, however, they usually target young animals or adults of smaller species. These predators include dingo dogs as well as introduced species such as red foxes, feral dogs and cats.

When a kangaroo finds itself chased by a predator, it often escapes into the water. This can just be an escape strategy, since the kangaroo is a surprisingly good swimmer (again, thanks to this huge tail). But in some cases, the prey may lead its pursuer into a trap. Once a kangaroo reaches deep into the water that hides its chest, it sometimes turns around and faces the predator, grabbing it by its front limbs and trying to drown it.