Kangaroo Island Kangaroo
Kangaroo Island Kangaroos are one of many marsupial species native to Australia.
They're placid, friendly and curious. Meetings with them are one of the most popular close-up encounters in the visitor experience program, so book in advance!
In the wild, kangaroos are at risk of dog attacks and road accidents, but there are no large predators on Kangaroo Island.
It’s also a lush environment, so they’re not subject to the potential food shortages that can affect other kangaroo species in harsher places.
Kangaroo Island Kangaroos come from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, where winters can be cold, so they have thicker fur than species found in warmer parts of the continent.
Kangaroos are medium-sized macropods — a term used to classify all kangaroos and wallabies. Females weigh from 20-30kg, and males can grow up to 70kg.
Their diet includes hay, carrots, leafy branches, and pellets of mixed grains. They’re a highly social species, living in mobs with a dominant male as leader.
Facts about Kangaroo Island Kangaroos
- Newborns spend 31 days in the womb. When they’re about the size of a jelly bean, they crawl from the birth canal up to the pouch.
- Like other macropods, they can have a joey at their feet and a new joey in the pouch, providing different strengths of milk for each!
See the kangaroo keeper talk at 11.30am daily.
