Exactly what are we talking about? Kangaroos? Wallabies? Or is it something else entirely when using the Local Lingo on Roos and Wallabies..
What are Roos?
In the Land Down Under, the term roos is a term for kangaroos and their close cousins, the wallabies. It’s like calling all cats “kitties” or all dogs “pooches”. It’s just our Australian way of keeping things casual.
The word kangaroo derives from ‘Gangurru’, and they’ve been a significant role in Aboriginal culture, besides providing meat. They used fur and bones for clothing, ornaments, weapons, and ceremonial objects. It became a symbol of their dot paintings and is a part of their Dreamtime stories.
As part of the mega-mammal family, kangaroos and wallabies and have been hopping around since the dinosaur age, that’s over 50,000 years ago. Back then they were goliaths standing well over 2 metres in height, weighing in at an estimated three tonne. That’s enough to really knock you on your arse!
Roos and the locals
Even though some landowners may hate roos, and outback drivers will curse under their breaths at that near miss of a roo on the road, roos play a big part in helping our natural ecosystems. How you might wander?
By eating the native vegetation they help reduce the fire hazard materials, spread native grass seeds when foraging and fertilise nutrient-deficient soil. Oh, and because they’re soft-footed, they don’t damage the soils they aerate compacted and depleted soils.
They’re so good they’re protected:
As kangaroos and wallabies are protected, being native wildlife, they’re protected in the Northern Territory (NT). You’ll need a permit of some kind if you decide to keep one in captivity. Even wildlife rescuers need a permit to care for these protected animals.
Kangaroos vs Wallabies: The Lowdown on their differences.
Even though we lump them in one word as roos, there is a difference between the Kangaroo and wallaby.
Size Matters:
The big difference between these two is their size. Kangaroos are the giants while the wallabies are their pint-sized cousins.
Kangaroos get as tall as 6 feet and weigh over 200 pounds, making them the heavyweight champs who do like to box.
Wallabies are half that, at 3 feet. They’ are much lighter on their feet, preferring to bolt than get into a confrontation.
Hop to It
Kangaroos have powerful hind legs built for bounding across the outback. Wallabies are more like graceful ballet dancers, with a lighter hop that’s as elegant as it is efficient.
Considered a fifth limb, their tail helps them leap, but it also makes it impossible for them to walk backwards. At all. But some wallabies can climb trees.
Diverse Roo Groups
A group of roos is called a mob, troop or court, and there are over 60 different species of kangaroo and wallaby species in Australia. But they all belong to the Macropodidae family (macropods, meaning “large foot”).
Like certain dog breeds, they have their known traits. The macropods have their own unique charm and characteristics. But they all have a pouch to nurture their young, the joey, which is the size of a jellybean.
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Aussie’s embracing the word Roo is everywhere
The fun doesn’t stop there! Aussies love to use roos as a slang term. You’ll find it everywhere on our sports flags, logos, and even on our money. So
Roos leaping into our finances:
The one-dollar coin has 5 kangaroos on it, bearing the Aussie slang term for cash– the nugget.
“Kangaroo” is a slang term used to describe the Australian stocks included in the Australian All-Ordinaries Index.
Kangaroo Court
I’m sure you’ve heard of these mock courts, run by a group of people to try someone without good evidence or other rules that usually go with court laws. The “kangaroo” may have referred to the Gold Rush era when miners illegally took other people’s land claims and were then tried in one of these quick, mock courtrooms.
The Roo-bar
Also known as the bull bar, the roo-bar is the metal framework that sits on the front of a vehicle. We have one on all our vehicles as they’re designed to protect vehicles during collisions from the many roos and wallabies who love crossing the road at night. Particularly dusk and dawn. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roo_bar
The Kangaroo Jack (AKA the Wallaby Jack)
It’s a high lift jack favoured by those who actually get their four-wheel drives dirty. We have one for each vehicle.
The Roo slang in our language:
Ya roo!
This is to call someone an idiot, a fool, or a clumsy person, such as “Flamin’ heck you’re a roo.”
Depending on the region, many locals will use the words wombat, galah, and dingo instead of roo.
Hoo-roo
Hooroo or hoo-roo is to say goodbye or ‘see ya tomorrow, mate’.
Or as ol’ mate from the outback cattle station would say: “Two-roos-and-a-wallaby”.
Roadkill
This is the nickname for the roo we eat. Don’t worry, this is the ethically farmed kangaroo or wallaby. This nutrient-packed product you can cook as steaks, stews, kebabs, meatballs, or anything you’d use for meat in a dish.
The Roo names and nickname:
Pet names for roos
As a kid, I nursed an orphan joey back to health. I named Skippy after the iconic TV show called, Skippy.
The Elsie Creek Park Ranger, who rescues roos, often gives them pet names based on their personalities or breed.
The most common pet names for pet roos are:
- Roo (duh!)
- Skippy/ Skipper/ Skip
- Joey/ Joe
- Hoppy/ Hopscotch/ Hop
- Bounce
- Pocket rocket
- Pouch and
- Punch
- Wally
- For some Bill.
Roo is an actual name.
Roo has been a name since the 19th century. It recently gained some popularity from the fictional character, Roo, from the remake of the classical children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh. Or was that from The Hunger Games?
Roo is a nickname.
We’ve already established that roo is a nickname for the Kangaroo and the wallaby, but it’s also used as a nickname for longer names such as:
Ruby
Robert
Rupert
Rufus
Rudolph
Rudd
Rubin
Ruth
Gertrude
Prudence
Truman
And Rooney
I knew a ringer who had the nickname roo. He was a bit of a wallaby ‘round the campfire especially after a few brews under his belt.
The Wallabies nickname is famous
Wallabies is the nickname for Australia’s national rugby union team, who represent the nation in the World Cup. Their first game was in Sydney in 1899.
The kangaroos are also in football
The Aussie rules footy wouldn’t be footy without a roo somewhere. Enter, the North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, who have been kicking it out since 1869.
The Roo is so iconic it became a brand:
The roo is a highly recognisable symbol of Australia known across the globe. Here are a few iconic roos you may recognise.
They put it on the coat of arms.
Not only found on our coins, the Kangaroo is on Australia’s coat of arms too. Yes, we are one of those countries that eat the animals from their national emblem! Shocker. Hey, the Swedes eat their moose!
The Kangaroo that flies
You may have seen it in on the land, but it’s also a huge brand in our skies, starting with…
The flying kangaroo:
It’s the famous brand for Qantas Airlines that is recognisable around the globe as an Australian Airline with an impeccable safety record, It’s ranked #1safest airline in the world.
But the Royal Australian Air Force flew the roo first!
It started way back in World War II when pilots stencilled kangaroos on Australian fighter aircraft to set them apart from other air forces.
Today it continues to be part of their brand where the kangaroo always faces the front of the aircraft or vehicle, and they call it the roundel.
The Boxing Kangaroo
Spotted at most sporting venues or great sporting events, the boxing kangaroo has been around since 1891 and is used in many sporting events, even painted on ships.
Then the Australian Olympic Committee bought the rights to the Boxing Kangaroo image during the late 1980s. It became famous when the Australia II team won the America’s Cup, using the Boxing Kangaroo as their sporting battle flag in 1983.
@melarowe More than one roo in this mob… Where I live there are so many varieties of roos (wallabies and kangaroos) that I had to create a character in my latest medical/ rural romance (about a hot doctor + a park ranger + a rescued wallably ) in my latest release: “Doctoring Dust” You can find it at your favourite bookstore. Enjoy. Xx🦘
Roos in stories…
The word roo is a big part of our Aussie language, it makes sense to have them in our stories, especially in children’s books.
They can also be a character, like in Doctoring Dust, where you’ll find a certain agile wallaby causing mischief for the local park ranger. It will leap off the pages and into your hearts, especially for those who love a happy ending in their romance. Check it out HERE>>
Until next time, keep calm and roo on!
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