About 15 million years ago, kangaroos started to appear. Their ancestors were opossum-like creatures that lived in the trees. Many types of species died out over time, but today, around 250 species of marsupial live in Australia.

Where did kangaroo evolve from?

The kangaroo, a beloved national symbol of Australia, may in fact be an ancient interloper. A study published Tuesday in the online journal PLoS Biology suggests that Australian marsupials — kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils and more — evolved from a common South American marsupial ancestor millions of years ago.

How long have kangaroos been in Australia?

Australia has been home to hopping kangaroos for 20 million years. An ancient group of kangaroo relatives called balbarids had multiple ways of getting around, including hopping, bounding and climbing. The finding may mean we have to rethink how modern day kangaroos came to hop.