Which mammal is the largest marsupial species?

The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial species in the world.

Male red kangaroos are substantially larger than females and can stand around 1.8 metres tall, with exceptional individuals weighing close to 90 kilograms. Their powerful hind legs and large feet allow them to travel efficiently by hopping across Australia’s open grasslands and deserts.

Red kangaroos are marsupials, so their young are born at a very early stage of development and continue growing in a pouch. A newborn is tiny compared with its mother, but it climbs into the pouch and attaches to a teat, remaining there during its early development.

People sometimes confuse the red kangaroo with the eastern grey kangaroo, which is also large and widespread. The red kangaroo is distinguished by its greater typical size, reddish-brown males, and adaptation to arid inland environments. It is native to mainland Australia, not Tasmania.