Why is the kangaroo on the coat of arms?

The kangaroo appears on the Australian coat of arms because, alongside the emu on the other side of the shield, it is one of two native animals that are said to be physically incapable of walking backwards. The pairing was chosen as a symbol of a young nation that goes only forward, and both animals are unique to Australia among the world's larger fauna.

The kangaroo stands on the left side of the shield (the viewer's right) as one of the two supporters in the heraldic design. The current coat of arms was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, replacing an earlier 1908 design. The kangaroo and emu had appeared together on unofficial Australian emblems and military badges since the early nineteenth century, well before federation, and were the natural choice for the new federal coat of arms.

Beyond the coat of arms, the kangaroo is one of the most heavily used national symbols in Australia. It appears on the tail fin of every Qantas aircraft, on the Australian one-dollar coin, on the badges of Australian Olympic teams, and on the roundel of the Royal Australian Air Force in place of the British target design. Australian sporting teams from cricket to rugby league are nicknamed Kangaroos or some variant.

Six species of kangaroo are recognised, including the red kangaroo (the largest marsupial in the world), the eastern grey, and the western grey. Their population is now estimated at well over 40 million across mainland Australia. Kangaroo meat is sold in supermarkets and exported, and kangaroos are one of the few national symbols that ordinary Australians see in the wild on a regular basis, especially in rural areas at dawn and dusk.