Kangaroo Dreamtime

This painting, in Dot Art form, is my depiction of the Australian Iconic Marsupial, (Macropodidae), the "Big Red" or "Giant" Red Kangaroo; it is by far, the largest of the Kangaroo species, standing up to 180 cms tall and has an extremely large and powerful tail, which it uses with great skill, in its speed of jumping very long distances in one single bound. 

The reddish/brown background colour represents this Native animal's chosen habitat, mostly dersert areas and scrubland and devoid of many trees. 

The 3 brown/yellow circles with white dots represent the Billabongs, (muddy waterholes) that these animals frequently drink from. The thick black lines also painted with white dots, represent the tracks/trails made by these Kangaroos leading to and from these Billabongs (waterholes). 

The name Kangaroo was given to this wonderful animal by chance, by mistake, actually. After arrival of the British on the first fleet to Sydney Harbour in 1788, Officers and crew were amazed at seeing such creatures and when they tried to communicate with the local Aboriginal People to find out what these animals were called, the local tribes, not knowing or indeed understanding what the white settlers were asking, replied to what sounded like "Kangaroo", which the white settlers took for being its name...and to this day, the nameremains. 

Kangaroos and their relatives 

Two Families of animals are included in this grouping; the Macropodoids and the Potoroids. Members of both families have short forelimbs and long hind feet that enable them to move in a fast hopping gait. All have a pouch that opens forwards. Most are active at night and seek shelter to rest during the day. Of the 40 species of macropods found in Australia, only two occur elsewhere (in New Guinea). The family contains kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, quokka, pademelons and ranges in size from the Red Kangaroo at 1.8m (6ft)

and 90kg (198lb) down to the Monjon at 35cm (13in) and 1.4kg (3lb). 

Red Kangaroos live over most of the dry, inland, central part of Australia in areas where rainfall averages less than 500 millimetres.

They prefer open plains habitats with neither trees nor bushes. Theextensive area where the animals live includes scrubland, shrub land, grassland, and desert habitats. These animals feed mostly on grass and other vegetation. Sometimes they can do without water feeding only vegetation for a long period of time. They are the best jumpers of all mammals and can jump as high as 28 feet in distance and 6 feet in height; their speed exceeds 30 mph. They can jump for hours at a speed of 12 mph. The male Red Kangaroo is usually of reddish color and the female is bluish-gray. Kangaroos have long, strong hind legs that help them tohop up to 40 miles per hour and go over 30 feet in one hop. Femalesthat are quicker than males are called does, flyers, roo or jill. Adult Red Kangaroos are called bucks, boomers or jacks while a baby is called a joey. 

They are also active at night, and in the few hours after sunrise and sunset. They rest in the daytime especially in the winter than in the spring or summer. There is usually an older leader that leads the whole pack after him. 

Facing danger these animals usually scatter around trying to save themselves. Although when the period of mating comes, the males become very aggressive and they are competing for females. These fights are very dramatic as the males grip each other tightly with their large fore claws and wrestle each other while balancing themselves on their tails. 

When the weather is very hot and no rains are occurring, some males and females become infertile. But, as soon as the drought is over, the mating period begins and the population of the animals grows again. These are silent animals. The males make hissing and screaming sounds while fighting with other males. Females and little Red Kangaroos make soft clicking or tutting noises when communicating. 

Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas Panel. 

Painted: 2007.