Kan"ga*roo" (?), n. [Said to be the native name.] Zool.
Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family Macropodidae. They inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo (Macropus major) is the largest species, sometimes becoming twelve or fourteen feet in total length. The tree kangaroos, belonging to the genus Dendrolagus, live in trees; the rock kangaroos, of the genus Petrogale, inhabit rocky situations; and the brush kangaroos, of the genus Halmaturus, inhabit wooded districts. See Wallaby.
Kangaroo apple Bot., the edible fruit of the Tasmanian plant Solanum aviculare. -- Kangaroo grass Bot., a perennial Australian forage grass (Anthistiria australis). -- Kangaroo hare Zool., the jerboa kangaroo. See under Jerboa. -- Kangaroo mouse. Zool. See Jumping mouse, under Jumping. -- Kangaroo rat Zool., the potoroo.
© Webster 1913.