Picture trying to survive in grasslands and open forests across Australia. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the kangaroo, a mammal up to 2 meters tall when standing, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider powerful back legs: this adaptation let it hop more than 50 kilometers an hour. Equally important is a long, thick tail, which helps it balance while hopping and acts like a fifth leg when it moves slowly. Without these traits, the kangaroo would struggle to last a single season.
As a herbivore, the kangaroo is an animal that eats only plants; it depends on grasses and leaves. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it rests in the shade during the hottest part of the day and feeds in the cool evening. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young kangaroos, called joeys, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. A joey lives in its mother's pouch for about eight months.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: kangaroos cannot walk backward easily. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.