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Webster 1913 Edition
kangaroo
kan′ga-roo′
,Noun.
[Said to be the native name.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family
Macropodidæ
. 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
.