Red kangaroos hop on their powerful hind legs at up to 35 miles per hour. Their bounding gait lets them cover 25 feet in a single leap and jump 6 feet high. They are the only kangaroos truly suited to arid environments, though they prefer the greener plains and open woodlands with plenty of herbaceous plants to forage.

Males, or boomers, are heavily muscled with a rich, rusty red coat, though some may also be a dark grey. Often called blue flyers, females are much smaller and range in colour from grey-blue to reddish.