Kangaroo
KANGA, our three-year-old red kangaroo, came to us from our friends at Conservation Ambassadors in Paso Robles. She arrived with her baby girl in her pouch, ROO, who is now almost a year old and growing stronger every day!
Since joining us, Kanga and Roo have been doing wonderfully in their new kangaroo family. Roo, now a playful and curious youngster, is growing fast and is often seen hopping around on brief excursions. Kanga, though still not people-friendly, continues to make progress as we work on building trust and helping her feel more comfortable in her new home.
We’re so thrilled to see these two beautiful girls flourishing together, and we’re grateful to have them as part of our family!
ORDER: Diprodontia
FAMILY: Macropodidae
GENUS: Osphranter
SPECIES: Rufus
Kangaroos are iconic symbols of Australia. The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial alive today. The male stand 6 feet tall on his tip toes, the female 4 feet. He is the protector, and she is the nurturer. They live in a mob or group of about 10 animals most of which are female and joeys. There is only 1 jack and maybe a few immature young males. They are grassland grazers and prefer dawn and dusk due to favorable temperatures. Kangaroos can jump 6 feet high but their real strength is in the long jump, which can be 30 feet. Kangaroos are the only large mammal to hop as their main form of locomotion. They breed year round and the female is pregnant for only 32 to 34 days. The baby is born the size of a pinto bean, blind and no back legs. It follows a scent path to mamas’ pouch, finds a milk source and latches on for about 70 days. The joey will start to take short excursions from the pouch at about 5 months old. Mama will nurse the baby for a year but at 8 months the baby is ready to join the family group outside the pouch. Females mature at different times depending on drought. In good water years they start breeding around 18 months but during drought they will wait sometimes up to 5 years of age.
Threats
The biggest threat to kangaroos is humans. Though they bring in great revenue for Australia, some think of them as pests or hunt them for their meat and leather.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern