The Adventures of a Young Kangaroo in Australia | Our World

This is the story of Joey, a young kangaroo. His family, the Reds, are watched over by a huge leader. One day, Joey could lead the clan. But first, he must survive the many dangers of the Australian outback. Soon, he'll be hopping for his life. For over 50 years, survival has captured spectacular images of the natural world. Now, we draw on the very best to create new stories of animal behavior as it occurs in the wild. This is Jira, a female Red kangaroo. Like all female marsupials, she has a pouch. And right now, that pouch seems to have a life of its own. After five months wrapped in cozy darkness, Joey pokes his head into the Australian air for the first time. His newly opened eyes squint against the sunlight. But gradually, he starts to make out shapes in the vast outback. He has been born into the scrubby plains of central Australia, kangaroo heaven. His family of 10 is known as the Reds. Jira is 10 years old. She's raised many offspring, so takes motherhood in her stride. Joey's first taste of fresh air is short-lived, and he buries himself back into the safe haven of his mother's pouch. Jira spends a lot of time cleaning her built-in baby carrier. It's been in constant use since she was two years old. It's a very stretchy hammock. But Joey's growing fast, and even the expandable pouch is getting rather cramped. Female kangaroos and their daughters stay together in a clan, watched over by a single adult male, Big Red. He's taller and heavier than an average man, a giant in the outback, almost three times bigger than his females. Jira puts her feet up. It looks like Joey wants out. He wriggles to explore some more. Jira can contract muscles in the pouch to determine when her baby can and can't leave, like a living drawstring. Joey can't get out until she says so. He comes nose-to-nose with some of the outback's smaller inhabitants. Australian ants are amazingly diverse, each kind with a unique trick for desert life. These ones have adapted to take advantage of the sticky stems of grass. They attach grains of sand welded together with saliva. This is a micro farm. Joey can only watch the tiny workers come and go. But unseen and out of the harsh sun, the workers are farming tiny sapsuckers, little bugs that drink from the grass stems. As they feed, they excrete sugary food for the ants. Within their homemade fortress, the tiny farmers get high-calorie drink in return for keeping their livestock safe. Though the line of workers themselves is not immune to attack. Rocking back and forth to look like windblown leaves, a tiny predator moves in. A thorny devil will munch its way through 3,000 ants in a sitting. This is Australian fast food. But Joey doesn't get to watch the drama for long. Something larger is on its way. Sheep. There are 100 million of them tearing up the plains with their hard hooves and overgrazing the grass on which the kangaroos depend. Because sheep are not creatures adapted to desert life, farmers have installed artificial wells to keep them watered. Kangaroos are expert in going without water, but they're not going to turn down a free drink. Like all wildlife, the roos have learned to exploit human resources. Water will help keep Jira healthy, ensuring a good start in life for her son. Joey's home is one of the biggest and most forbidding wilderness areas on earth. Over 100,000 square miles of desert. With temperatures reaching 50 degrees, the reds relax during the hottest part of the day. But they can never truly drop their guard. The dingo. The largest land predator on the continent. Though they're pack animals, dingoes often forage alone. Their favorite food? Kangaroos. In the Australian outback, red kangaroos are on high alert. A scent in the air spells trouble. Reds have been hunted by dingoes since the large wild dogs arrived in Australia over 4,000 years ago. It's thought that they were brought from Asia by early seafarers. The adaptable dog catches grasshoppers until his eyes fall on more appetizing prey. Jira, the mother kangaroo, pulls her drawstring pouch to keep Joey safe inside. Kangaroos are extremely alert. But when they turn to run, they trigger the attack. The chase is on. Though the dogs are strong runner, it can't match the 35 miles an hour of a running roo. On their powerful legs, the reds can cover 20 feet in a single bound. Normally, dingoes hunt in packs. One lead animal running the prey into an ambush. But this dog's alone and is soon left behind in a trail of dust. Only one in 20 dingo hunts are successful. But he'll be back. But for the reds, it's out of the frying pan and into the fire. A raging fire can kill anything in its path. For thousands of years, Aboriginal people have deliberately started fires to flush out game for hunting. Jira knows she must get her son away from the deadly flames. Bushfires sweep across the parched plains at alarming speed. Small animals must flee or perish. Even the huge perentie is threatened by the growing inferno. Slow-moving animals have no chance of outrunning the flames, so must seek cover underground. Even the speedy reds need to be careful. The inferno leaves a trail of destruction. Even some kangaroos are not fast enough to clear the flames. But bushfires are vital to the health of the landscape. The ash enriches the soils and helps plant seeds to germinate. Wildlife here has evolved to live with bushfires, and many survivors emerge once the flames have passed. By morning, the surviving reds have moved themselves away from danger. Joey and his mother among them. These days, Joey hardly seems to put his head back into the pouch. There's an exciting world out there. The comical galahs are worth watching as they flirt amongst themselves in the treetops. Young kangaroos spend a month getting to know the outside world through the window of their mother's pouch. It only takes a few weeks of his mother's rich milk, and Joey has doubled in size. The pouch is barely off the ground. Getting about is no longer very comfortable for mother or son. It's time for this little kangaroo to start finding his feet. Mum's not subtle with the hints. She simply relaxes her pouch and he falls out. He seems unfazed by this sudden change. It means for the first time in his life, he can stretch and have a good scratch. Jira reminds him to wash behind his ears. Joey takes his first few steps or hops, but they're a bit wobbly. His patient mother encourages him to keep trying. It's a bit daunting and he soon heads for home, if he can find a way in. Moment too soon. A wedge-tailed eagle, one of the biggest threats to a young kangaroo. This huge predator isn't popular with the neighbours either. Emus are the world's second largest bird after the ostrich. Like their African cousins, they are flightless and share a similar lifestyle. It's the male emu's job to nest sit for two months. But finally, he can stretch his legs. His powerful clawed feet make an effective weapon that he can use in defence. He's one of the most protective fathers on the plains. Within hours, his stripy babies are up and running, quite able to get about and feed themselves. For the eight weeks he's sat on the nest, the male hasn't eaten, so he gets himself a well-deserved meal. This model father will continue to watch over his chicks for the next seven months. Joey is less self-sufficient than the emu chicks. It's walking lesson number two. Kangaroos often use their tails as a third leg. But for Joey, it's a handy stabiliser while he finds his feet. He has quite an audience of weird and wonderful reptiles. Lizards are cold-blooded and depend on the sun's heat to power their bodies. Thanks to the Australian sun, over 500 species thrive. Joey's soon picking up speed, though stopping to check anything and everything out. He's more comfortable about some neighbours than others. And when he's spooked, runs back to mother. But Jira is encouraging him to leave home and doesn't relax the pouch. The only comfort he can get is to push his head into the darkness. She still has a lot to teach her son about the desert dangers and resources. And from now on, his life lessons will be on foot. He needs to know where to find food and water. And which neighbours to run from. The father emu and his clan are little cause for concern. He copies his mother, learning which plants are good to eat. Dry and prickly desert plants take a bit of getting used to. It's been a long day, and Jira and Joey relax as the air begins to cool. This might look like a goodnight kiss, but Joey is licking his mother's saliva. In this way, she is able to transfer bacteria that will help him digest the tough desert diet. Joey's dad, Big Red, looks in on them. He plays no fatherly role, but checks up on all the females in his clan. Big Red keeps a close eye on the Reds. Though Joey's getting a bit big, Jira allows him to get into the pouch for a cosy rest. The desert night shift takes over. Kangaroos spend most of the night grazing. It's cooler than by day. But now they share the desert with a bizarre assortment of animals. Thousands of termites tirelessly crop the grass stems, and carry the felled logs back to their burrows. Lizards and geckos emerge to harvest the workers. The olive python stalks spiniflex mice. But they're too quick for him this time. Strange mounds of rocks are the work of pebble mice. Amazingly, they build sunshades in the desert by piling pebbles. Rock lifting's hard work, and the mice must eat regularly to keep their strength up. But they can't afford to drop their guard. The rodents scurry as danger approaches. They've caught the scent of a red fox. This European predator was introduced by colonizers, and has become a pest as they take a heavy toll on native marsupials. They could even snatch a young kangaroo, given the chance. But Joey stays close to his mum. Kangaroo's smaller cousins, wileys, are more vulnerable to the cunning hunter. But luckily, night offers a break from the biggest enemy. The wedge-tailed eagle only hunts by day. Dawn sees some changes that will really put Joey to the test. The wedge-tailed eagle's eggs are hatching. To feed these two tiny dependents, the parents will need to bring home a constant supply of meat. At the top of their menu, baby kangaroo. With two hungry chicks to feed, a pair of wedge-tailed eagles are on the hunt. Red kangaroos are their favorite prey. And having just left his mother's pouch, Joey is the perfect sized meal to take back to the nest. The massive predator scatters the clan. Joey is separated from his mother. Swooping at 60 miles an hour, the eagle's hot on his tail. Joey must hop for his life. But kangaroos are masters of quick turns. He dashes into a creek. Joey's managed to give him the slip under the vegetation, at least for now. The huge bird swoops on eight-foot wings. One of Joey's cousins wasn't quick enough. With its powerful beak, the carcass is quickly dismembered into small pieces that can be flown back to the nest. One of the largest eagles in the world, wedgies can even kill young cattle. The reds have suffered a loss. But the young kangaroo makes a nutritious meal for the chicks and gives them a good chance of survival. It will be two and a half months before the chicks can leave home and the parents' deadly raids on the reds will let up. Joey catches his breath. His fast thinking has saved his life. But the question now, where is he? He's discovered a cool, shady oasis in the desert. The galahs raise their young here in the leafy trees. But this is not typical kangaroo habitat. The roos are designed for life on the open plains. He calls to his mother, but there are no kangaroos around here. Everywhere he looks, he sees unfamiliar faces. A pair of sleepy lizards have emerged from hibernation. They have been apart for months. But as the breeding season approaches, they reunite. Reptiles are not usually faithful, but these armor-plated skinks will get together again year after year. Strange spiniflex pigeons find plenty of grass seeds to eat off the forest floor. Though they'll have to look out for danger. At over eight feet in length, the perentie is one of the largest lizards on earth. It's a plains dweller like Joey, but has wandered in to take advantage of the wealth of rodents in the creek. And then, one of the strangest animals Joey has ever seen. Sometimes called a spiny anteater, the echidna is actually the only mammal other than its close relative the platypus to lay eggs. Its stout clawed feet bust termite mounds apart, and a tubular nose with a long sticky tongue scoops termites from their tunnels. Its beaky snout is toothless, but as the echidna laps up insects, it also swallows grains of dirt which will help grind up its food. As the day draws to a close, the stream bed becomes alive with the love songs of tree frogs. They are being stalked by a foot long predator, the rare quoll. Though it's a freshwater crayfish that catches its eye. Quolls used to be one of the top predators in the outback, but not since the arrival of Europeans. They brought with them new hunters, and now predator has become prey. Again, it's the fox. This large European predator is a threat to native wildlife, even quolls. Joey dashes in search of his mother. This is no place to be caught alone. It's not easy finding her in the vast outback, but high bounding eventually reveals some familiar shapes. He reaches the clan just as darkness falls. He's clearly glad to see her. Maybe a bit too enthusiastic. After his adventure, he wants to get into the safe pouch, but she pushes him away. As the sun breaks, Jira's strange behavior has got Joey most confused. For hours, she's been obsessively cleaning her pouch, and she's sitting back on her tail trying to get comfortable. This position can mean only one thing. Jira is about to give birth. She licks a sticky path of saliva up to her pouch, and then with a single contraction, the baby is born. It doesn't look much like a kangaroo. A pink blob about the size of a coffee bean. Amazingly, this tiny baby has only developed for 33 days, but it already has a powerful sense of smell. Instinct guides it, climbing up towards the pouch. Born with only stubby arms and no legs, it swims through her thick fur. Joey doesn't get what all the fuss is about and does a bit of bird watching. In just three short minutes, the tiny blob has reached the pouch. Just about the only part of it that's well-developed is its mouth, ready to clamp onto one of its mother's teats. It won't move from this spot for four months, suckling and growing, completing its development in the pouch. Until finally, it looks a bit more like its big brother. With the tiny baby on board, Joey will never again be allowed to snuggle in the pouch. But that's not the only change in his life. Just 48 hours after giving birth, Jira is in season. Female kangaroos are always pregnant. They can hold an embryo inside them, not letting it develop until the bigger baby has moved out. Now that Jira is ready to mate, Joey finds his life suddenly getting a bit crowded. Throughout the bush, male kangaroos are picking up Jira's scent and rush in to try and mate with her. The adult males must go head to head. Joey finds himself in the middle of a boxing ring. During the mating season, male kangaroos of all ages spar with one another. This time it's because they want to mate with Joey's mother. Leaning back on their tails, they use powerful claw-tipped back legs to slash at one another's stomachs. The belly skin is toughened to withstand the blows. Joey stands transfixed. The boxing is more about looking good than anything else. They stand about posing, grooming as they flex their muscles, trying to intimidate rivals. Someday Joey will need to engage in battle to secure his rank. These fights determine status and only the biggest and fittest will get to mate. And in this corner of the outback, there is no competition. It's Big Red. When he swaggers into town, the contest is over. A male this size doesn't need to prove himself. He marches past the competition. However, he has a lot of females to keep an eye on. And while he's busy elsewhere, a younger male has snuck in to woo Jira. Joey looks on as his mother is courted by a young suitor. He's too young to stand much of a chance, but goes through the motions nonetheless. Male kangaroos will follow females for days, gently caressing her tail to try and get her in the mood. The tickling seems to be hitting the spot. Joey's not quite sure what to do with himself. He finds himself getting left behind. Just when the suitor seems to be getting somewhere, he's spotted. Big Red's cottoned on. Perhaps if he starts grooming, he can fool Big Red. It's time for a swift exit. Size matters in the kangaroo clan. And with the younger male sent packing, Big Red claims what is rightfully his. By only mating with the biggest and best, Jira is making sure her offspring get the strongest genes. Big Red also fathered Joey. But at the moment, the little male's not feeling like he's part of the family. Jira doesn't leave him alone for too long. It's a dangerous time for young roos. There is always an eye in the sky looking for any vulnerability in the clan. The eagle chicks are doing well. They always hatch two eggs, but it's rare for both chicks to survive. But living over the Reds, there are rich pickings and both chicks thrive. They have some unlikely neighbors. A pair of tiny zebra finches nest below them, knowing that the eagles will keep dangers at bay. The dangers from above don't stop Joey from taking risks. Now that he's banned from the pouch, he spends more time than ever exploring. The outback is dotted with rocky outcrops. Joey goes to have a look. It's a mini me. These are black-footed wallabies. Their feet are toughened and rubbery, like the soles of trainers, to enable them to dash over the rocks. It's breeding season here too, with the biggest males following females. Away from the hustling males, a female seeks a quiet rock to give her tiny baby its first taste of life outside the pouch. Like Joey's first time, it's all a bit much. All marsupials use pouches to keep their growing babies safe. It's a trait that sets them apart from all other mammals. The baby waits until it's in the safety of a cave before it tries out its padded feet for the first time. The wallabies have lookouts on high peaks and it's just as well. A dingo. The wallaby troop dashes across the rocks. The wallaby's speed has saved them. With the troop watching his every move, he stands no chance of a successful ambush. Still, the dingo is an opportunist. The climb wasn't a waste of time. It discovers a bush with ripe berries. Berries or not, Joey doesn't want to mess with a dingo. It's time to go home. Summer has bleached colour from the landscape. The male kangaroos have stopped fighting by the time Joey gets back to the clan. Now it's too hot to box. During the heat of summer, the roos move as little as possible to save energy and avoid heat stress. The kangaroos don't sweat, but instead lick their arms. Their arms are rich in blood vessels and as their saliva evaporates from their fur, it draws heat and cools their blood. Scraping topsoil, they can make shallow beds in the cooler earth below. Joey copies his mother's technique. He sits on his own now, but likes to keep Jira in sight. Not much chance of sleeping with flies buzzing around his face. A sleepy lizard is on the move. Even lizards seek shade when it's this hot. Though harmless, the lizard has an unusual trick up its sleeve. It flashes its blue tongue in warning. This lizard is not a threat to Joey, but he's not taking any chances. Dust storms rage across the plains. Many of the young animals, kangaroos and emus alike, won't survive this drought. The father emu keeps his chicks close at hand. But the suffering of other animals bodes well for the predators. At 10 weeks old, the eagle chicks are starting to resemble their parents. They use hot desert winds to test their wings. It's their pre-flight check. The wings are working. Landing pads down. But it's a daunting step to take the plunge. The test flight's a success, but he won't go far. The parents will feed them and teach their chicks to hunt for another year or so. With summer at its peak, it's tough for Joey and the Reds to find food on the parched plains. And it's a problem compounded by aliens. The sheep, brought here from the lush meadows of Europe, tear apart the fragile soil with their tough hooves. And there is another, even bigger competitor. It's not a mirage. A herd of dromedary camels pass through Joey's patch. These colossal herbivores were brought by European settlers to help them penetrate the desert. No longer needed by farmers, the camels were turned out into the wild. Today, there are more feral camels in Australia than there are on the Arabian Peninsula. The fauna has radically changed, but the kangaroos are one of the few native animals that continue to thrive. By following his mother for months, Joey is getting to know where to find every resource in this corner of the desert. He's built a mental map of water sources, though visiting these can come at a price. Joey and the Reds will travel for many miles to exploit the few natural oases in the desert. All outback animals converge on this most precious of reserves. That means predators as well as prey. At this time of year, dingoes know how to find secluded spots where they can wait undetected. Every animal will need to come and quench its thirst. The Reds arrive. Kangaroos can go for several days without drinking, even in the height of summer, but eventually all must come to drink, and on the lakeside, several clans may converge. Jira's new baby is now old enough to watch, her first lesson in where to find water. Everyone needs to be on high alert. Even Big Red. Tiny tree frogs are enough to make the roos jumpy. The commotion doesn't go unnoticed. Joey turns on his tail, his strong legs propelling him at 25 miles per hour. Success. His ambush has paid off. A young Red. A meal this size will keep him going for several days. Joey was lucky. There is a change in the air. Like many animals, kangaroos seem to smell the coming rain. The blistering summer is coming to an end. The outback doesn't get a wet season, just the occasional storm, but it drenches the landscape, and the Reds with it. Mulger ants build turrets around their dens to stop the floodwater from getting in. Lizards have to sit it out. And termites are flushed from rotten wood, leaving them exposed to attack from a desert toad. But it's not all bad. Jira enjoys the fresh puddles. Female kangaroos can actually choose the sex of their offspring. This new baby is a little girl. She watches her big brother Joey, now 18 months old and completely independent. Though it's short-lived, there is a brief season of plenty. The plains transformed overnight into lush meadows. Excitement spreads through the colony. The riches trigger play fighting to erupt among the males. Though he won't be ready to mate for several years, Joey needs to start practicing. He finds a playmate about his own age. Glancing to his peers for tips, he mimics their punches. Getting in on the act so early in life will set Joey in good stead. Before long, he'll be staking out his own patch. And maybe one day he'll even take over from his dad. Move over, Big Red. The kangaroo kid is growing up.