Macropus giganteus

Eastern Grey Kangaroo at Aranda Bushland

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Identification history

Macropus giganteus	21 Apr 2024	DonFletcher
Macropus giganteus	21 Apr 2024	CarbonAI
Macropus giganteus	21 Apr 2024	JimL

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User's notes

Good size mob here. Also evidence of overnighting - dirt scrapes aroundnd trees fresh.

3 comments

DonFletcher wrote:

21 Apr 2024

Mature male with penis everted, in first photo, would be chasing a female. April 21st is an unusual time for females to come into estrus, in the Canberra region, and she is liable to be pursued by many males, which may be some of the ones in the other images.

JimL wrote:

21 Apr 2024

Yes. After having been grazing around 25 metres away, he approached, made the moves, but didn’t ask first! Totally rejected, with female and others moving off east and he slowly hopped behind them, still packing up…

DonFletcher wrote:

21 Apr 2024

Normally, courtship in spring involves at least 2 hrs of following but up to 48 hr. While following, the male repeatedly seeks to grasp the tail of the female. Sometimes he blocks her forward movement by placing his body at 90 degrees in front of her. Sometimes when she urinates he rolls up his upper lip (called flehmen) to help detect estrus hormones in the urine. Gradually he gets to grasp the tail higher up and eventually to grasp her hips, then mating follows. But out of season it can be a more aggressive chasing with a column of males persistently following the female, and the female run off her feet, thoroughly exhausted.

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