Maxie: Female, born August 10, 2003 at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, arrived at the Zoo on April 18, 2005. Her left ear curls out, and she resembles “Minnie” but is thinner and has no dye mark.
Minnie: Female, born January 1, 2004 at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, arrived at the Zoo on April 18, 2005. She has a dye mark in center of her back between the shoulders. She is the dam (mother) of Urban Bouncepants
Dan: Male, born April 4, 2007 at Zoo Atlanta, arrived at the Zoo on April 6, 2009. He is the largest, reddest kangaroo on exhibit. He is the sire (father) of the Bouncepants Dynasty: Irene, Sydney, Hunter Bounce-Pence, Urban, and Arlo.
Audrey: Female, born March 15, 2010 at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, arrived at the Zoo on March 22, 2011. She has a dye mark on her right hip. She is the dam (mother) of Irene Bouncepants.
Alice: Female, born on March 15, 2010 at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, arrived at the Zoo on March 22, 2011. She has a dye mark on the base of her tail, and she is redder than Audrey. She is the dam (mother) of Arlo Bouncepants.
Irene Bouncepants: Female, born on April 15, 2011. Dan is her father.
Sydney: Female, born on May 15, 2011. Dan is her father and Audrey is her mother.
Urban Bouncepants: Female, born on December 8, 2011. Dan is her father.
Hunter Bounce-Pence Bouncepants: Female, born on December 20, 2011. Dan is her father and Minnie is her mother.
Arlo Bouncepants: Male, born on May 10, 2012. Dan is her father and Alice is her mother.
Viewing Hints
Kangaroos spend the heat of the day lying down and resting. They are usually up and active in the morning or the late afternoon. Even on warm days, they often choose to lay in the direct sun.
Named for their color, only adult males are reddish brown. Females and juveniles are a bluish grey in color which gives the females their nickname of "blue flyers". Both sexes have a distinctive white stripe on the sides of their face. Kangaroos have large, powerful rear legs and a thick tail, while their front legs are quite a bit smaller. Their rear feet have two fused toes that form a double nail that is used as a comb to groom their thick, soft fur.
Longevity
Lifespan for red kangaroos ranges from 16-22 years in both captivity and in the wild.
Behavior
Red kangaroos are found in the hot dry interior of Australia. Mainly crepuscular, they forage in the morning and evening in order to avoid the midday sun. They deal with the extreme heat by resting during the hottest part of the day in whatever shade they can find, and by licking the insides of their forelegs which helps with evaporative cooling - which is similar to how an air conditioner works. Red kangaroos are found in groups called "mobs" which can number over 1,000 animals in areas where forage is good. Although they tend to conserve energy during the heat of the day, they are capable of moving at great speed. Kangaroos can cruise for long distances at 30mph due to their efficient hopping, which uses less energy and requires less effort by the kangaroo than running would. They are so well designed for hopping that they can't move their legs independantly in a typical walking motion, and cannot walk backwards at all.
Reproduction
Like all marsupials, red kangaroos have a short gestation period. The young - known as joeys - are born after only 33 days and are tiny - less than one inch long and weighing less than an ounce. The newborn joey crawls up the mother's fur as she reclines and licks a moist path so that the vulnerable joey doesn't dry out. Once it reaches the pouch it attaches to one of the teats and continues its development for nine months. As the joey grows it begins to leave the pouch but doesn't venture far from its mother, and is quick to dive back in at the slightest sign of danger. The joey will continue to nurse for a year but gradually spends less time in the pouch until the mother finally refuses to let it back inside. Females tend to remain in their family mob, while males move off in search of mates.
To learn more about the conservation efforts at the Philadelphia Zoo,
click here.