ABSTRACT
The kangaroo, a marsupial of the family Macropodidae, is endemic to the continent of Australia. The term kangaroo refers to several distinct species of the Macropus genus, including the red M. rufus, Eastern grey M. giganteus and Western Grey M. fuliginosus, although the term has been used historically for the entire family. 1 Kangaroo species were, since time out of mind, a valuable traditional resource for aboriginal Australians and were accorded significant meaning in mythological and totemic systems. Within European culture, and more especially the discourse of natural history, kangaroo were ‘nondescript’ (a species or genus not previously identified) before the first Captain Cook expedition to the South Pacific, in 1768– 1772. Since that time, the kangaroo has become one of the durable symbols of Australia as nation and culture: stylized representations of the kangaroo are used on the nation’s coat of arms, on currency and postage stamps and by numerous significant national institutions, such as sports teams, the armed forces and the airline Qantas, as well as in countless ephemeral iterations in popular and high culture. This essay explores how the kangaroo produced this meaning in European culture, tracing the history of several specimens in detail, from first contact and capture to display and classification, and examining the construction of the species as an emblem for a distinct Australian identity.
