A kangaroo’s large, heavy tail moves up & down in time with the legs. The pumping motion helps oxygen move in & out of the lungs. The tail also helps with balance. It is possible to hop without a tail, but they tire easily. A kangaroo’s back legs are very powerful & can propel them up to 64km/hr. To increase speed a kangaroo increases stride length, so they bounce less. It can be up to 9m. Kangaroos have very long feet-in fact their scientific name: Macropus means big foot.
