Discover 5 amazing facts about kangaroo babies, from their unique climb to the pouch to their first clumsy hops at Brookfield Zoo.
Over in the Australia yard at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, western gray kangaroos lounge in the grass together under the sun. The quiet and idyllic yard holds a surprise — four of the female kangaroos are currently home to babies, or joeys, in their pouches! In fact, you might spot them poking their heads out from time to time. As they grow more confident, you may even see some of their first few hops out of the pouch.
Here’s five unique facts about joeys at the Zoo:
1. Joeys are born tiny and underdeveloped.
Unlike humans and many other animals, marsupials have very short pregnancies of eight to 46 days. When babies, called joeys, are born, they are roughly the size of jellybeans. At this stage, it’s similar to an 8- to 10-week-old human embryo. Most of the joey’s growth will happen inside the comfort and warmth of their mother’s pouch.
2. After birth, a joey's instinct is to climb.
In both humans and marsupials, an embryo connects to its mother’s blood supply through the placenta and umbilical cord. But while they both give live birth, marsupial babies take a very different path after delivery.
The tiny joey crawls from the birth canal into its mother’s pouch, which she’s prepared by opening it with her forepaws and licking it so that it’s soft. Once the joey makes its journey, it latches onto the mother’s nipple, which provides constant nutrients for growth. As the joey grows, it will be able to detach from its mother’s supply.
3. Joeys spend the first months of their lives inside their mother's pouch.
These babies hide out inside their mother’s belly pouch, or marsupium, for safety, warmth, a cozy place to sleep and to nurse. Joey’s typically do not leave the pouch until they are stronger and more independent. Without their mother’s pouch, they would not survive.
4. Joeys peek out of the pouch.
The Zoo’s animal care specialists have observed marsupial babies poking their heads out of their mother’s pouch around six to eight months of age. When a joey is first born, it can only tolerate sticking its head out for a few seconds at a time. Once the joey grows more fur and can begin to regulate its body temperature, it will start to peek its head out for longer, and eventually its limbs.
5. Joeys are curious and clumsy.
At around 10 or 11 months, a joey is ready to leave its pouch for the first time. It will start sniffing the ground from inside to get familiar with its surroundings. When it first hops out, the baby will usually stumble as it's still building strength. Eventually, its movements become more fluid, and it can stick the landing.
At Brookfield Zoo Chicago, joeys might start exploring the yard this fall! Whenever you hop by, keep an eye out.
