Kangaroos ...

Kangaroos are about as Australian as you get. The idea of roaming kangaroos, similar to rabbits or squirrels back home, was kind of scary yet I was disappointed when I was unable to find them roaming the streets of downtown. Not that that is what I was really expecting, but they were harder to track down than I thought.

Don't worry ... I found some. And then took a thousand pictures, kind of like I did with the koalas.

Kangaroos are the only large animal to use hopping as their primary means of getting around and because it's feet are so big they are unable to walk like normal. They use their tail for balance to help them move at slower speeds and then every once in a while it gets real crazy and moves into a kind of crawling position and moves on all fours.

So I was kind of in awe when I saw this kangaroo for the first time, especially after realizing that there was nothing more than a less than knee high fence providing my protection. But it seemed so far away, so I hit the record button and got a little footage ... and almost lost my footage in the process .... You'll have to watch to get it:

You'll have to click here to watch.

And then when it doesn't feel like moving anymore, they just lay down and max and relax. Although they're not as 'lazy' as koalas, this mob, or troop, whichever you prefer, wasn't very active. They did roll around a lot ... I definitely wouldn't want to sleep next to one:

My friend Bernie told me that in rural areas you can find road kill kangaroo similar to road kill deer or raccoons back home. Gross, huh? I also learned that if in fact you do hit a mother kangaroo on the road it is up to you to decide whether or not you will save the joey. Apparently the rule is that if the joey is already covered with hair it has a good chance of survival. You can choose to take care of it yourself and later donate it to a wildlife sanctuary when you are no longer able to provide proper care as domesticated joeys rarely are able to survive independently in the wild. That means you would have to go digging around in the pouch of a dead kangaroo to first find out whether or not there was a joey and then be willing to provide the proper care of milk and lots of cuddling. I'd probably do it. Especially when they're this cute:

Look at this adorable kangaroo family ...

Mom & dad are spooning:

They're in love:

And this is their baby ... I made up a whole story about them:

And then there were some wallabies, which are just a smaller species of kangaroo. These ones had stripped tails and were smaller than the other kangaroos I saw. They were still kind of cute though.

I think this one's giving me the evil eye:

My only disappointment was that I didn't get to see two kangaroos boxing. Trent's disappointment was that I didn't get kicked by one. He's such a nice guy. :)



much love

-tara-

xx