New South Wales Outback, Australia

This scene is an original illustration set in New South Wales Outback, Australia. It lies in the subtropics, where the climate is hot semi-arid steppe.

A mob of grey kangaroos occupies the foreground, one upright and alert balanced on its tail, the others grazing head-down. White-trunked eucalypts with sparse crowns stand scattered across dry grass, and the summer morning light is already strong.

Why does a kangaroo balance on its tail?

Balancing on the tail as a third leg is a posture unique to this family — the tail is a load-bearing limb, not a counterweight. Hopping is also unusually efficient at speed, which suits an animal that covers long distances between feed. Sparse-crowned eucalypts over open grass, on ground this dry, mark semi-arid grazing country rather than true desert.

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