Jacked Kangaroo: Just How Strong Are Buff Kangaroos?

Jacked Kangaroos are iconic Australian animals that are famed for incredible jumping abilities and their cute kangaroo babies that they carry around in their pouches.  

They are large animals and the biggest males can weigh up to 200 pounds.  

Male kangaroos regularly take part in brutal boxing matches and fierce fights for dominance and sometimes it’s possible to come across a really jacked kangaroo.  

These super buff, jacked kangaroos really do make for an impressive (and intimidating) sight, but why are they so muscular?  

Join us as we discover just how strong buff, jacked kangaroos really are!

Why are Jacked Kangaroos so Buff?

Kangaroos are large animals, with the red kangaroo being the largest most jacked kangaroo species, but sometimes a really, really buff kangaroo can turn up.  The most famous jacked kangaroo of all was named Roger, and we’ll have more details on him below, but for now, enjoy this video of this seriously buff kangaroo!

Red kangaroos are rippling with muscle – broad, firm chests and abdomens, and tough arms with bulging muscles.  They’re usually males and, more often than not, they are the dominant kangaroo in the mob.  But what makes a jacked kangaroo so buff?

Hopping

Kangaroos have such a unique and distinctive gait where they travel around by hopping, and the way that they do this naturally gives them really good muscles.  This is because kangaroos use their hind legs and large back feet to power their movement using the muscles and tendons in them.  Kangaroos use the Achilles tendon that runs down their hind leg to generate the energy to hop.  

With each leap, their tendons and ligaments stretch and provide energy. This is then released as their muscles contract, forcing their legs away from their body – just like a giant spring.

Kangaroos travel for many miles every day in search of food.  They cover an average of 25 to 30 feet with each leap, and can also jump up to 10 feet in the air when they need to.  All of this hopping while supporting a large body means that kangaroos need to have really good leg muscles, and hopping those kinds of distances soon helps them to develop.

Fighting

Jacked Kangaroos aren’t exactly peaceful animals and skirmishes and fights often break out amongst them. However, the biggest fights are between the males.  These fights can be bloody and brutal and the strongest, fittest, and most resilient kangaroo is usually the winner.

Fights between males are known as boxing matches, and – just like a real boxing match – it proves to be the perfect workout.  The males grapple with each other, push each other around, and punch each other just as if they are boxing.  They also strike out with their super-sharp front claws.  

Jacked Kangaroos also perform a unique “kickbox” move where they balance on their tail while they kick out at their opponent with their hind legs.  These moves mean they are using all of their muscles and are basically working out while they’re fighting.  

After all, the more active they are, the more they’re building up their muscles.  Not only that, but the strongest male is usually the one who wins the fight.

Therefore, it pays to be the strongest and most muscular!

Dominance

As we’ve just established, fighting means that jacked kangaroos develop really muscular bodies. However, the main reason that males fight is for dominance and access to the females.  The dominant male is generally the only kangaroo who mates with the females in the mob, so if he wins all the fights then he gets the ladies.  

Not only that, but research has shown that female kangaroos are actually attracted to the most muscular, jacked kangaroo males.  

So, all that working out really does have a benefit!

How Strong Are Buff, Jacked Kangaroos?

Jacked kangaroos, just like buff people, are often the strongest around.  As we’ve just explained, kangaroos can develop into super muscular individuals by fighting, and this proves to be key.  This is because buff kangaroos are muscular and have so much strength in their muscles that they usually overpower their opponents in fights.  

This means that not only can he withstand all the blows that his opponent sends his way, but he can push, grapple, and kick with enough strength to win the fight.  When a kangaroo is able to win all the fights he’s proving his strength to all of the other kangaroos.  This means that buff kangaroos often become the dominant male within the mob.

Dominant males have access to the females and have mating rights with them.

Red kangaroos are the species most likely to be buff, and they have an immense amount of force.  In fact, a red kangaroo can deliver an incredible 759 pounds of force with a single kick!  As well as being able to inflict serious damage with their kicks, buff kangaroos have been known to crush metal with their bare hands, which is seriously impressive.

They also have a punch force of about 275 pounds. Kangaroos also have powerful jaws, coming in with a bite force of up to 925 PSI – this is the same bite force as a grizzly bear!

The Most Jacked Kangaroo

One of the most muscular kangaroos in the world was a kangaroo named Rodger – affectionately known as “Ripped Rodger”.  Rodger was a male red kangaroo who lived at The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia until his death at age 12 in 2018.  Like many other kangaroos that end up in sanctuaries, Rodger was found as a tiny joey in his dead mother’s pouch after she had been hit by a car.  Rodger was rescued by Chris Barns who ran the sanctuary and raised Rodger from a tiny orphan. No one knew the type of muscular buff kangaroo he would turn out to be.

As Rodger began to mature and grow he quickly developed an extremely muscular physique, earning him his nickname.  He was 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed an impressive 200 pounds.  Rodger soon became the sanctuary’s dominant male and was able to easily see off any young challengers for the role with his massive muscles and incredible strength.  

Pictures of Rodger the muscular kangaroo, soon went viral and he became adored by many fans.  His most famous picture is one of him holding a metal feed bucket that he had just crushed with his bare hands as easily as crumpling a scrap of paper.

Rodger, the muscular kangaroo fathered many kangaroos during his reign as the most ripped kangaroo around. However, there could yet be a challenger for his title – his son, Monty.  Monty is reported to be twice the size of the females at the sanctuary.  Before Rodger’s death from old age, Monty honed his skills by play fighting with his father and soon developed a similar muscular and toned body.

Is a Human Able to Overpower a Buff Kangaroo?

It might seem like a human would be able to overpower just any average-sized kangaroo, but they are outpowered by these marsupials, in almost every aspect, with the exception of their arms. There was even one boxer who, in defending his dogs, learned the unfortunate lesson that people should not fight with kangaroos.

Not only do these marsupials have incredibly long claws and sharp teeth, but their kicks are extremely powerful and can kill an animal, human included, with just one kick. If you are in a situation where you are confronted by a kangaroo, it is advised that you should back away as slowly as possible while facing the animal, avoid eye contact, and keep your head down and your arms close to your body.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © A Life Beneath Stars/Shutterstock.com