What Does Kangaroo Mean?

Kangaroo is supposed to be Aborigine for "I don't know what you mean". The story goes that the first Europeans to sight the strange animal excitedly asked their Aborigine guide what kind of animal it was. But because the Aborigine's grasp of English was somewhat shaky, he replied in his language that he didn't understand the question. Allegedly, this was "Kang a roo" and the name stuck.

Nice story, anyway, even if it isn't true.

Animal with belly or bag.

A kangaroo basically is any of the many big macropods which comprise of wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, Quokka etc. The expression kangaroo is generally applied in extensive sense to address to all the associates of the macropod family.

Kangaroo are found on a large scale in the continent of Australia, where as tree-kangaroos are found extensively in Australia and New Guinea. The term Kangaroo originates from the Guugu Yimidhirr term gangurru, indicating towards the grey kangaroo. The name was initially documented in the year 1770, by Lieutenant James Cook on the shores of the River Endeavour at the spot of present day Cook town.

The term kangaroo was soon inducted in the regular English where it is used to address to any member of the kangaroo family or wallabies.

A kangaroo is a large Australian animal which moves by jumping on its back legs and the Female kangaroos carry their babies in a pouch on their stomach. So cool!

The story I heard is that kangaroo is aboriginal for what was that.

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