What is the scientific classification of a kangaroo?

There are over 60 species of kangaroo. They include the larger kangaroos as well as wallabies, wallaroos, tree kangaroos, bettongs, rat-kangaroos, potoroos, quokkas and pademelons. Generally, the creatures recognised as kangaroos are the two species of Grey kangaroo, and the Red kangaroo. These are classified as follows:
Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Infraclass Marsupialia

Order Diprotodontia

Family Macropodidae

Genus Macropus

Within the macropod group, the animals are classified according to size, habitat and structural differences.

Members of the macropod family are characterised by their big feet ("macropod" means "great-footed"), their front pouches, and the fact that they move primarily by hopping.

There are three main species that are commonly called kangaroo. These are:

• The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) - This is the largest marsupial in the world and the most common in Australia.
• The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) - This species ranges over the fertile eastern part of the continent.
• The Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) - This species is found in the southern part of west Australia, near the coast of South Australia and the Darling River basin.

Other species of kangaroos are smaller, and they include:

• Wallabies, including different species of rock-wallaby, brush wallaby and swamp wallaby
• Quokkas, once thought to be a type of wallaby, but now regarded as another separate group
• Musky-rat kangaroo (the smallest of all kangaroos)
• Tree kangaroos, which live in trees, although they can easily jump to the ground from 6m up and escape along the ground if threatened. There are numerous species of tree-kangaroos. They have shorter hind legs and a long, non-prehensile tail which they use as a rudder for jumping between tree branches. They are the only type also found in New Guinea.
• Pademelons, which are the smallest of the macropod family. There are many different varities of pademelons.
• Wallaroos and euros, which come in between wallabies and kangaroos in size. They are characterised by a more thickset body, and are darker around the snout.

Then there are the potoroids - a sub-species of the kangaroo family. Examples include:

• Rat-kangaroos, which look like oversized rats around the face and ears. There are various species of these, such as the Musky rat-kangaroo and the Rufous rat-kangaroo. Rat kangaroos are different to the kangaroo-rats of North America, and not at all related.
• Potoroos, which are small and quite endangered. Gilbert's Potoroo is the most threatened marsupial species in Australia.
• Bettongs which, like the potoroo, are sometimes included in with the rat-kangaroos. They are quite small, usually weighing only a couple of kilograms when mature.

Some specific species (not all) are listed below, excluding the extinct species. The rat kangaroos, potoroos and bettongs are also not represented below:

1. Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus lumholtzi
2. Grizzled Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus inustus
3. Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus bennettianus
4. Ursine Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus ursinus
5. Matschie's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus matschiei
6. Doria's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus dorianus
7. Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus goodfellowi
8. Lowlands Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus spadix
9. Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus pulcherrimus
10. Seri's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus stellarum
11. Dingiso, Dendrolagus mbaiso
12. Tenkile, Dendrolagus scottae
13. Brown Dorcopsis, Dorcopsis muelleri
14. White-striped Dorcopsis, Dorcopsis hageni
15. Black Dorcopsis, Dorcopsis atrata
16. Gray Dorcopsis, Dorcopsis luctuosa
17. Small Dorcopsis, Dorcopsulus vanheurni
18. Macleay's Dorcopsis, Dorcopsulus macleayi
19. Spectacled Hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes conspicillatus
20. Rufous Hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus
21. Agile Wallaby, Macropus agilis
22. Black-striped Wallaby, Macropus dorsalis
23. Tammar Wallaby, Macropus eugenii
24. Western Brush Wallaby, Macropus irma
25. Parma Wallaby, Macropus parma
26. Pretty-faced Wallaby, Macropus parryi
27. Red-necked Wallaby, Macropus rufogriseus
28. Woodward's Wallaroo, Macropus bernadus
29. Eastern Wallaroo, Macropus robustus
30. Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby, Onychogalea fraenata
31. Northern Nail-tail Wallaby, Onychogalea unguifera
32. Short-eared Rock-wallaby, Petrogale brachyotis
33. Monjon, Petrogale burbidgei
34. Nabarlek, Petrogale concinna
35. Proserpine Rock-wallaby, Petrogale persephone
36. Rothschild's Rock-wallaby, Petrogale rothschildi
37. Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby, Petrogale xanthopus
38. Allied Rock-wallaby, Petrogale assimilis
39. Cape York Rock-wallaby, Petrogale coenensis
40. Godman's Rock-wallaby, Petrogale godmani
41. Herbert's Rock-wallaby, Petrogale herberti
42. Unadorned Rock-wallaby, Petrogale inornata
43. Black-flanked Rock-wallaby, Petrogale lateralis
44. Mareeba Rock-wallaby, Petrogale mareeba
45. Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Petrogale penicillata
46. Purple-necked Rock-wallaby, Petrogale purpureicollis
47. Mt. Claro Rock-wallaby, Petrogale sharmani
48. Quokka, Setonix brachyurus
49. Tasmanian Pademelon, Thylogale billardierii
50. Brown's Pademelon, Thylogale browni
51. Dusky Pademelon, Thylogale brunii
52. Calaby's Pademelon, Thylogale calabyi
53. Mountain Pademelon, Thylogale lanatus
54. Red-legged Pademelon, Thylogale stigmatica
55. Red-necked Pademelon, Thylogale thetis
56. Swamp Wallaby or Black Wallaby, Wallabia bicolor