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eastern grey kangaroo (macropus giganteus)

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picture courtesy of Susanne Riehemann

        Australia's Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is the most prevalent of the six species that make up the Macropodinae family.  It is most closely related to the Western Grey Kangaroo, which inhabits the more westerly regions of the continent.  The grey kangaroo also holds the distinction of being the largest living marsupial around.  The kangaroo is a species characterized by many unique aspects.  Other than its pouch and short fore limbs (characteristic of most marsupials), its hopping locomotion is the most idiosyncratic feature about this creature.  They can move at spends of up to 35 miles per hour and have been known to lead up to 25 feet in a single bound.  They form loose aggregations with known as mobs, which have on average three to four members.  They are nocturnal (and crepuscular), and are for the most part sedentary.  They inhabit home ranges and establish dominance hierarchies among the different sexes.  Given the low level of relatedness among the species (particularly the males) most of their social interactions seem to be based on selfishness and some cooperation.  Kangaroos only have one offspring per year and a strong bond is established between the mother and the offspring due to the intense investment (joeys stay in mothers’ pouches for about 300 days) and because they claim sole responsibility of raising their offspring.  Today they are still in abundance in Australia and Tasmania, with the main threat to their numbers being dingoes, foxes, eagles, goannas, pythons, and most seriously, humans. 

home * grouping * social spacing *  mating system * predation * references * biology @ davidson * animal behavior