Red kangaroo

Description

The red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, except for the more fertile areas, such as southern Western Australia, the eastern and southeastern coasts, and the rainforests along the northern coast. The initial description of the species by A.G. Desmarest was published in 1822. The type location was given as an unknown location west of the Blue Mountains. The author assigned the new species to the genus Kangurus. In 1842, Gould reassigned the species to the genus Osphranter, a taxon later submerged as a subgenus of Macropus. A taxonomic restructure in 2015 in Taxonomy of Australian Mammals by Jackson and Groves promoted Osphranter back to genus level, redefining the red kangaroo, among others, as species within the genus Osphranter. This was further supported by genetic analysis in 2019. The initial description of the species by A.G. Desmarest was published in 1822. The type location was given as an unknown location west of the Blue Mountains. The author assigned the new species to the genus Kangurus. In 1842, Gould reassigned the species to the genus Osphranter, a taxon later submerged as a subgenus of Macropus. A taxonomic restructure in 2015 in Taxonomy of Australian Mammals by Jackson and Groves promoted Osphranter back to genus level, redefining the red kangaroo, among others, as species within the genus Osphranter. This was further supported by genetic analysis in 2019.