Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

(Macropus giganteus)

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo’s fur is woolly and grey-brown in colour, and they have a small head with big ears. Their tail can grow up to 4 feet long which is very helpful for balancing and standing up straight. An Eastern Grey Kangaroo can live anywhere from 15-20 years of age in the wild. A big male can measure up to 2.8 meters from his nose to the tip of his tail, and can weigh up to 66kg. Females are much smaller only reaching approximately 32kg.

Habitat

Eastern Grey Kangaroos can be found living on the open grassland, open woodland and forested coastal areas of eastern Australia and Tasmania.

Diet

Eastern Grey Kangaroos are herbivores and predominately a grazing animal eating mainly shrubs and grass. They feed mostly at night and early in the morning. During the day, Eastern Grey Kangaroos lie under shaded trees or in scrapes they have dug. This is also where they sleep.

Breeding

Breeding occurs throughout the year but more births occur in the warmer summer months. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. A joey is born 33-38 days after his/her parents mate. The tiny embryonic kangaroo emerges from its mother’s body and slowly climbs up her abdomen and into her pouch. When the joey is first born it weighs under a gram and is as tiny as 15 millimetres. Once born the joey will stay in its Mum’s pouch for up to 8 months. At this age the joey will begin to start exploring and go for very short little hops around out of Mum’s pouch.

The joey will still be able to fit into its mothers pouch until it is around one year old, but will only try getting back in when he/she is cold or scared. When the joey finally does becomes too big for Mum’s pouch she will refuse to let him in. By this stage, Mum may already have another little joey suckling on her teat.