The kangaroo is one of the largest animals on the Australian continent and the range of species is well adapted to the environment. The red kangaroo as largest, followed by the grey kangaroo and many smaller related animals such as Wallabies found throughout the drier inland regions. The kangaroo is a valuable source of food for traditional Aboriginal people, prized for meat with the hide, bone and gristle being used in making ornaments, artefacts and weapons.
Aboriginal hunters have lived in close proximity to these animals for thousands of years and are expert trackers. They need to silently stalk the kangaroo, as the animals are much quicker to move than its human counterparts. Paintings of both kangaroos and their hunters are shown on ancient rock art sites. Some appear as though visualising a successful hunt, with the man spearing his prey. Contemporary Aboriginal paintings show kangaroos as part of the natural world, as a prized food and as a totemic image from the Dreaming.
Aboriginal mythology incorporates Ancestor spirits related to important animals into Dreamtime law, and the kangaroo features prominently in the culture of Indigenous groups across Australia. Its image is seen in paintings from the furtherest south to the most northern regions of the continent.