Encounter native Australian wildlife in its natural habitat at Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
There are an estimated 65,000 kangaroos on Kangaroo Island! The human population of Kangaroo Island is just under 5000. So, for every human, there are 14 kangaroos! Ever wondered how it got its name?
There are plenty of interesting and unique species of wildlife in Kangaroo Island to explore! But the kangaroo is certainly the most dominant.
They are the most common animal in all of Australia… when you learn their lifecycle, it’s easy to see why! If you’ve ever ventured into the bush in Australia, you’ll be familiar with kangaroos. They’re everywhere! With a high population of Kangaroos pretty much everywhere in the rural places…But what is their life like? And how long do they live for?
Day 1: Joey days…
Day one of the kangaroo lifecycle begins when they are tiny, jelly baby shapes. They emerge as a tiny little cherry! When they first come out, they are blind and hairless. As they slowly get a bit bigger, they curl up in their mother’s pouch. They stay here for about 10 months before leaving the pouch.
Gestation and birth – female kangaroos have a very short gestation period, where, between 21 and 38 days, they carry a tiny joey. The baby joey is then born and crawls into the pouch of the mother.
There’s only room for one joey in the pouch!
After a little bit of time, the joey is mature enough, and they leave the pouch to be by themselves.
If the egg is fertilized whilst the joey is there, the development of the egg is normally a bit more delayed, so that the mother can only have one kangaroo in the pouch – normally, there is only ever room for one.
The baby kangaroo is only the size of a jellybean at this stage! The newborn kangaroos are blind and hairless when they come out, and they look nothing like them…
When they grow to full size, kangaroos can stand over 6 feet tall. They grow quickly, considering they are only 2.5 centimetres long when they are newborns!
After this, they live for about 15 to 20 years. Although humans are a major predator of kangaroos, dingoes also eat them.
To see the kangaroos of Kangaroo Island, why not check out the Wildlife Sanctuary?
Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia
Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.