They have short front legs with five unequal digits, and long, powerful hind legs with tendons that act like springs for energy-efficient hopping. The long, muscular tail is used as a support when the animal sits or walks, and for balance when it leaps. The tough hide is often covered with soft, woolly fur.
Kangaroos are terrestrial grazing animals that subsist mainly on vegetation.
Female kangaroos, like the females of other marsupials, have special abdomen pouches. The joey emerges from its mother's pouch after six months, and stays with her for about another three.