Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Eastern gray kangaroos mostly eat plants and are known as browsers. They have a varied diet, but they primarily feed on different types of grasses.

At the Zoo, they are offered alfalfa hay, a specialized pellet, produce, and browse.

The species can be found in eastern mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania.

Eastern gray kangaroos can be found in various habitats, including open woodlands, grasslands, and mountainous areas with extensive forest cover.

Dingoes are the only species that actively prey on eastern grey kangaroos. Indigenous Australians have hunted kangaroos for their fur and meat for thousands of years.

Currently, there are no significant threats to this species. They are protected by law throughout their range, and hunting and commercial harvesting are regulated to maintain kangaroo populations and manage them as a renewable resource while addressing agricultural conflicts.

Eastern gray kangaroos have thick fur that is usually grayish brown across most of their bodies, with lighter, sometimes white underparts. Their faces can be darker, and the tips of their paws, feet, and tails are also dark. They have small heads with large ears that can swivel to hear sounds better. Long eyelashes protect their eyes from dust and sunlight. To cool down when they get too warm, kangaroos pant and lick their chests and the inside of their forearms until these areas are wet. When the moisture evaporates, it cools the blood close to the surface in those spots, helping to keep them cool.

Kangaroos have powerful hind legs and large hind feet that enable them to move quickly and use less energy, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. They hop over long distances in search of food and water and are also excellent swimmers. The back feet have four toes, but the inner two are fused up to the claws. The double claw at the end is used for grooming and defense. While their front legs are much smaller than their back legs, they still help with movement and grasping food. Their long and strong tails help them balance when hopping and act like a "kickstand" when standing still or moving slowly.

Eastern gray kangaroos are marsupials, which means females carry their young in a pouch.

Eastern grey kangaroos can breed year-round, but most births occur during spring and early summer. Like all marsupials, kangaroos give birth after a short gestation of about 36 days. The baby kangaroo, called a joey, is small and hairless—about the size of a peanut. After it is born, the joey climbs into the pouch on its mother’s belly all by itself, using its tiny arms. Inside the pouch, it attaches to one of the four nipples and stays there to nurse and grow for more than four months.

Around six months old, the joey’s eyes start to open. In the next month, it grows quickly, and its limbs begin to stick out of the pouch. The joey will start to peek out, smelling and exploring its surroundings. When the mother kangaroo bends down to eat, the joey can lean out to nibble on grass and other plants.

By about nine months, the joey will start to spend time outside the pouch but can climb back in. The joey will slowly venture further away from its mother but return to be groomed or to nurse. It will not permanently leave the pouch until around 11 months old, and it will continue to nurse for another nine months or so by sticking its head back into the pouch.

One interesting fact about kangaroo milk is that its nutrition changes based on what the joey needs. This means that the milk produced when the joey is inside the pouch is different from the milk made when it spends time outside. Because of this, a female kangaroo can care for two joeys of different ages at the same time.

Kangaroos have excellent hearing and use vocal sounds to communicate with each other. Adult kangaroos use clucking sounds to communicate with each other and their young. Competing males and alarmed kangaroos make a deep coughing sound. When grey kangaroos feel threatened, they stamp their back legs on the ground. This stamping, along with the coughing, sends out a warning that can be heard from far away.

Kangaroos also use physical touch for communication, often touching their noses or sniffing to strengthen their social bonds.

Eastern gray kangaroos are social animals that live in groups known as mobs. A typical mob has one dominant male, several females with their offspring, and a few young males. Males in the group engage in boxing matches to establish dominance. The dominant male leads the mob and gets to mate with the females.

These large groups usually come together at dusk to eat when there is plenty of food available. Kangaroos are most active in the early morning or evening when it is cooler outside. During the hottest part of the day, they like to rest in the shade of trees.