|
Prospect Park Zoo News
Jumping Joey on Discovery Trail
Get a peek at the Prospect Park Zoo’s newest baby, a big-eyed, big-eared western gray kangaroo! The shy baby ’roo—also known as a “joey”—is taking in the new world from the comfort of mom Christy’s pouch. Occasionally, the joey quickly ventures out to stretch its limbs, and take a few clumsy hops.
Zookeepers discovered Christy was expecting in November, but didn’t get a glimpse of the youngster until at least a month later, when it began to emerge from the pouch. This is Christy’s second baby, and zookeepers say her maternal instincts couldn’t be stronger. Typically, western grays have very close social bonds and maintain family connections for years.
Both Christy and Junior, the joey’s father, are longtime Brooklynites. They arrived in 2003, hailing from the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Georgia. The two are easy to tell apart, since western gray males can weigh twice as much as females, tipping the scales at more than 100 pounds. Both sexes stand about five feet tall.
Native to southern Australia, western gray kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus, inhabit open grasslands, where they feed primarily on grasses and grains. These world-renowned jumpers use their big feet as springboards for hopping up to 30 feet. Their long, thick tails help them balance.
The Prospect Park Zoo, now with a total of four kangaroos, is the only zoo in the Northeast to house western grays. You can see them daily along the Zoo’s outdoor Discovery Trail, where they roam freely throughout the exhibit.
|
