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Behavior
Red kangaroos travel in groups called mobs with one lead or alpha male. Due to the scarcity of food resources in their habitat, the group is seminomadic with certain areas of preferred grazing. These marsupials are mostly nocturnal with the entire group resting together during the heat of the day. When one member of the mob senses danger, it will thump its feet on the ground to warn the rest of the mob. Although they can defend themselves with their powerful hind limbs, and even box with their short front ones, these kangaroos usually flee when threatened. Red kangaroos can make a series of grunts and coughs, but the group is usually silent except for mothers ‘clicking’ to call their offspring.
Reproduction and Breeding
Red kangaroos demonstrate the least complex courtship behaviors of all the large macropods. Only the dominant male of the mob is allowed to mate, with younger or smaller males being aggressively rejected by the females. The male begins by sniffing the urine and cloacal region of the females in his area to determine which ones are receptive. Because there is no definite breeding season for this species, females may come into estrus at any time. Males are constantly checking females for estrus. Females coming into estrus do tend to expand their area of activity to attract more male attention, with the ultimate goal of attracting the largest male available.
The reproductive cycle of the kangaroo is rather complex. Pregnancy doesn’t interrupt the estrus cycle as with most other mammals, allowing a post-birth estrus and subsequent mating one to three days after the birth of the first offspring. If the first offspring makes it to the pouch successfully and begins to nurse, the second embryo will be held in stasis (embryonic diapause) until the current young leaves the pouch. With this in mind, it is possible for a female to have three offspring at any time: one just out of the pouch, one just entering the pouch, and an embryo held in stasis.
The infant kangaroo is about the size of a lima bean when it is born and must make its way on its own through the mother's fur up to the pouch. The process takes three to five minutes, with the umbilical cord breaking halfway through the journey. The joey, as young kangaroos are called, remains continuously attached to the nipple for 120 to 130 days. At about 150 days, it will begin to peek out of the pouch for its first look at the outside world. Beginning at around 190 days, the joey, now weighing only 4 pounds, begins to make small excursions from the pouch. In another few weeks it will not be able to return to the pouch except in the case of extreme danger, with complete independence occurring a few months later.
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Conservation
Because of their high rate of reproduction, red kangaroos are stable in most areas of their range and are maintaining their wild populations well. In fact, the Australian government has a quota for the culling of three million red and grey kangaroos per year to prevent overpopulation. The animals are also used for leather and pet food, both vital trades to the nation. Farmers often shoot this kangaroo on sight because of the animal’s grazing habits, which lead them to cropland areas or grazing pastures used by sheep. Diseases that often cause blindness, plus forest fires are also responsible for culling wild kangaroo populations.
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Amazing Facts
- The top speed of a red kangaroo is 35 miles per hour, with the average hopping speed closer to 12 miles per hour!
- Female red kangaroos are often called blue fliers because of their grayish blue coloration!
- Kangaroos are the only mammals to switch from sweating to panting as soon as exercise stops. They are also the only ones with fine blood vessels very close to the surface of the skin of their forearms, which they lick for cooling!