Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Red (and Blue!) Kangaroos
Red kangaroos are the largest marsupials in the world. A marsupial is a special kind of mammal that has a pouch on its belly. A mother marsupial uses this pouch to carry her young. When a baby red kangaroo (a joey) is born, he is smaller than a cherry. Once grown, however, he is a lot bigger! A male kangaroo, a jack, can be five feet tall and weigh more than two hundred pounds!
Not only are these kangaroos big, they are also very fast. A jack can hop faster than thirty-five miles per hour. He uses his very strong back legs to hop. He can also use these same strong back legs to defend himself. A jack can lean back on his long tail and use his short front legs and powerful back legs to box an enemy.
