The Kangaroo

The kangaroo is the most iconic of all Australian animals. It appears on the coat of arms, the tail of Qantas jets and on numerous Australian products and advertising.

There are 45 species in Australia. Wallabies, Euros, Potaroos are all marsupials or macropods (great foot).They all share many common characteristics though they vary in size and habitat.

The heavy back legs make hopping easier and the heavy tail is used for balance. Over millions of years their teeth and digestive system have developed for very efficient grazing. Their diaphragm has also developed to assist the lung muscles to breathe while they are hopping.

The female can care for up to three young at the one time and can delay birth if necessary in bad seasons. She will often have a Joey at foot, another in her pouch and a developing foetus in her womb.

Despite their similarities the macropods have developed in different ways. The Red Kangaroo of the open plains is the largest though the female is a lot smaller and a blue grey colour. She is often called the “Blue Flyer”. The Grey or Forester is almost as large and frequents more scrubby areas. Then follows the compact shaped wallabies, the rat kangaroo and even some tree dwelling species in the northern rainforests.

Both the kangaroos and wallabies are attractive and appealing animals and are beautiful pets when young. However they are very difficult to keep and need special feeding and care.

We have had a few abandoned joeys as pets over the years that have become very attached to their human carers. When we were kids we had a female who used to “box” with us and loved a pat and a cuddle.

We found another recently on the Oodnadatta Track. Late one night we came across a young Joey standing in the middle of the road. We swept the headlights around the enormous open plain but could not see another animal or the reflection of their eyes.

The poor little bloke was stressed and all alone. When “the kid” knelt down and held out the bottom of her coat the Joey game up, turned a somersault and flopped into the makeshift pouch. Sadly the joey had been stressed for too long and caught pneumonia a couple of weeks later and died.

Baby joeys need a special long teat on their feeding bottle and a special milk formula. Cow’s milk will give them diarrhea and they eventually dehydrate and die. We make up a special heavily padded pouch to hang on the back of a chair to keep the joey warm and comfortable and used to buy the teat and formula from a veterinary clinic in Alice Springs.

It is interesting to watch the interaction of the kangaroos in mobs or just in their family group.

One time we noticed a mother and joey standing beside the road along side the Darling River. As we drove up the mother bounded off but the curious joey stayed while we stopped to take his photo. The concerned mother bounded back and called him with the strange “bark” and when the joey didn’t respond she angrily hopped around the other side of the car and clipped him over the ear!

They are a beautiful and fascinating animal.

From kangaroos to home page