Are kangaroos rodents?

Kangaroos are marsupials, which are mammals classified by the existence of pouches where the mother carries its babies. In the United States, the only native marsupial is the opossum. The confusion surrounding whether or not kangaroos are rodents could be due to the existence of the kangaroo rat.

Kangaroo rats are rodents that hop on their hind legs just like a marsupial kangaroo. However, the two are not related. In Australia, marsupials are the most common type of mammal. Kangaroos, wombats and koalas are all examples of different marsupials from Australia. The kangaroo rat is native to the western United States.