A group of kangaroos is called a mob, a troop or a herd. They're very social and use jabs, glances, hisses, hops, kicks, punches, touches and even grooming to communicate. Kangaroos have a unique muscular design that allows them to move in a way only macropods can, called saltation. They can hop with both feet pushing off the ground simultaneously and can cover over 15 feet per hop while moving at more than 30 miles per hour in short bursts. Although larger species like the red and gray kangaroos live in savannas and open woodlands, the smaller subspecies live in burrows in dry scrubland.

As herbivores, they eat a wide range of plants; they have a chambered stomach and are able to bring the food they've recently swallowed back up, chew it up as cud and swallow it again for final digestion. Larger kangaroos eat in mobs, with the size depending on the quantity of food available.

Females give birth to small, underdeveloped young that are then carried in their pouch, called a marsupium. Inside the marsupium, the joey nurses for about 120 to 450 days depending on the species. It takes about 14 to 20 months for females to reach the age of maturity and two to four years for males. Depending on the species, these marsupials can live from seven to 18 years.

Many live in the Australian deserts and open grasslands. When protecting themselves from a predator like a dingo, they lean back on their tail and kick with their hind legs. Kangaroos are also hunted for their fur and meat.

Species can be found all over Australia and in wet forests in New Guinea.