Forester kangaroo, Great grey kangaroo
The Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is a marsupial found only in Australia. It is the second largest and heaviest living marsupial and native land mammal in Australia. It is also known as the Great grey kangaroo and the Forester kangaroo.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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JumpingJumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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starts withThe Eastern grey is easy to recognize: its soft grey coat is distinctive, and it is usually found in moister, more fertile areas than the red. Red kangaroos, though sometimes grey-blue in color, have a totally different face than eastern grey kangaroos. Red kangaroos have distinctive markings in black and white beside their muzzles and along the sides of their face. Eastern grey kangaroos do not have these markings, and their eyes seem large and wide open. They have a powerful tail that is over 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long in adult males. Large males of this species are more heavily built and muscled than the lankier Red kangaroo and can occasionally exceed normal dimensions.
The Eastern grey kangaroo is widely distributed across eastern mainland Australia, from northeast Queensland to South Australia in southeast, and southern Victoria, including eastern Tasmania, and it has been introduced to Three Hummock Island and Maria Island. This kangaroo inhabits areas that have higher rainfall, including woodland, mallee scrub, dry sclerophyll forest, shrubland, and heathland. It needs trees or scrubs for cover, along with open areas for feeding. It can occur also in introduced grassland, agricultural land, and other modified landscapes.
Being a social species, Eastern grey kangaroos usually live in mobs or small groups, which include one dominant male, 2-3 females and their young, and 2-3 young males. They spend most of the day in the shade, moving out at dusk, and feeding until dawn. The adults communicate with their young and with each other using clucking noises. When they are alarmed, they can make a guttural cough, also used when males are warning each other, fighting, or displaying dominance. Grey kangaroos stamp on the ground with their hind legs when they sense danger, which, as well as the guttural noise, issues an alarm sound that can be heard from a great distance
Eastern grey kangaroos are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They graze on grasses, leaves, herbs, and other low, shrub-like vegetation.
Eastern grey kangaroos are polygynous animals. Adult males take part in ritualized fights with rivals, and the dominant male being the most likely the only one to mate with the available females. Breeding continues throughout the year, peaking in summer. The young is born following a gestation period of 36 days. At about 9 months old, the joey leaves its mother's pouch for short periods, exploring the world with very brief little hops around the mother. Joey leaves its mother's pouch at 11 months old, though it is still suckling. When the joey is 18 months old it is fully weaned and leaves the pouch permanently. Females are reproductively mature at about 20 to 22 months, and males at 43 months.
The Eastern grey kangaroo is not under any major threats. However, it is regarded as a pest in many areas and is killed under license. It is also hunted commercially for meat and leather. Its population is more limited in some areas, particularly in locations that are densely settled, and there is some doubt whether they will be able to sustain present hunting levels. Some locally abundant populations are culled by state wildlife agencies to reduce the impact of grazing on native vegetation, as well as to improve animal welfare. More concern has been expressed over the subspecies Forester Kangaroo, these animals being threatened by agricultural clearing, which reduces their habitat.
According to the Australian Government Department of the Environment, the total number of the Eastern grey kangaroo is 16,057,783 individuals. Currently, this species’ numbers are stable and it is classified as least concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Being grazing animals, Eastern grey kangaroos control the spread and growth of grasses and other foliage. This could result in soil degradation if it is left unchecked, but kangaroo population numbers are not large enough to be a serious ecological hazard.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...