It's Everyone's Favorite!

The fifth installment in my Australian Animals series is the ultimate symbol of The Land Down Under, the Kangaroo.

Admit it, when you think of Australia, you picture this

Everyone loves a Roo, until it's kicking you into a pond or punching you in the face, though I suppose that's true for Australians in general. Kangaroos around our house are more of a driving hazard than a national treasure. I've had multiple instances of the uptight intake of breath and armrest grab when one darts in front of our headlights while Chase is driving (you know the move).

Messing with one is no joke. These aren't your friendly neighborhood marsupial. Adults can be aggressive and in some instances can be dangerous.

Do you even lift bro?

So yes they can murder you on a whim and will Cark it through the windshield of your Ute on your way back from Brekkie at Maccas while you yell "Crikey!" and swerve to avoid a Bingle at the RoundyBoundy. (Full disclosure, that last one isn't really Aussie slang for roundabouts. I've been trying to make it stick for 6 months with no success.)

But their babies (Joeys) are super cute!!!

Waiting for the day it can kick you in the throat.

Here are a few fun facts about the kangaroo:

-There are 4 species of kangaroo: the Red, Antilopine, Eastern Grey and Western Grey Kangaroo

-Red Kangaroos (which is the species I painted) are the largest and can reach speeds of up to 65k/hour which we know isn't a real number so I did the American math ( 40 miles per hour ). It also said something about them being 2 "meters" tall but that's gibberish.

-There are more kangaroos than people in Australia, which I can believe when I'm at Woolys looking for a salesperson who can help me find a cheese that isn't simply labeled "Tasty".

-Kangaroos are marsupials and raise their joeys in their pouch from birth to 10 months, leaving occasionally for short trips out in the world around age 6 months (marsupial rumspringa!)

-Groups of Kangaroos are called a "mob".

-According to National Geographic Kids they can "...leap more than 9m in a single bound – that’s more than six ten-year-olds lying head to toe!" which seems like a dangerous and frankly unethical way to measure animal long jumps (especially for a children's organization).

Behold, the graceful majesty of the mighty Kangaroo!

Frankly, my favorite discovery about Kangaroos is that when resting they lounge on their sides like they're posing for a sexy portrait.

Paint me like one of your French girls...

You can see whole groups of them lounging together in the mornings. Imagine a hillside of Burt Reynolds...

I'm told the 70s were a strange time for everyone

So this is my Red Kangaroo for my Australian Animal series!

Next up is the Echidna- and I am at least 78% sure there will be no naked 70s stars in that post (can't promise though).