Word of the Day

noun

Wallaroos are among the approximately 200 species of marsupials found in Australia, New Guinea, and neighboring islands.

"The agency’s list contained several reports from Devon and Cornwall over the past five years, ranging from big cats to wild boar and even a wallaroo -- a kind of kangaroo." -- From an article in This Is Plymouth, October 8, 2011

Wallaroos are indeed a kind of kangaroo. That term in its broadest usage refers to any member of the family Macropodidae -- which comprises more than 50 species. More specifically, though, "kangaroo" refers to the eastern gray kangaroo, the western gray kangaroo, the red kangaroo, and to the three animals known also as "wallaroos." Like the animals to which they refer, the words "wallaroo" and "kangaroo" are native to Australia. "Wallaroo" is from Dharuk, an Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area; "kangaroo" is from Guugu Yimidhirr, an Australian aboriginal language of northern Queensland. Also from Dharuk is the word "wallaby," which refers to small or medium-sized kangaroos, especially those of the genus Macropus.

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