Australian Wildlife: Kangaroo

Dugong (Macropus giganteus)

The Eastern grey kangaroo is the most well known species of kangaroo, and can be found on the eastern coastlines of Australia, all of Queensland with the exception of western Cape York, New South Wales, and parts of Tasmania, most notably the north eastern portion.


In The Wild

The eastern grey kangaroo can often been seen in bushland, farmland and beside roads throughout its habitat - the eastern coastlines of Australia, all of Queensland with the exception of western Cape York, New South Wales, and parts of Tasmania, most notably the north eastern portion. As eastern grey kangaroos spend most of their day under the shade, then move out at dusk to feed until dawn, they can be a hazard when driving from dusk onwards. After rain, they can be particularly hazardous when they move to and from their grazing lands to pools of water by the roadside for a drink.

Pebbly Beach, NSW

The beach is one of the last places one expects to find kangaroos, and at the few beaches where kangaroos are known to frequent on a regular basis, their presence affords some wonderful photo opportunities. At Pebbly Beach in Murramarang National Park, near Batemans Bay, NSW, the local kangaroos not only graze on the grass above the beach and around the cabins, they often jump into the surf and splash around.

Cape Hillsborough, Qld

At Cape Hillsborough, Qld, eastern greys can often be found around the picnic areas and on the beach during the afternoon and evening, feeding on the washed up seaweed. A similar things occurs with western grey kangaroos on the other side of the continent near Esperance, WA. At Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park, seaweed accumulates in deep spongy masses and provides the interesting spectacle of a mob of local kangaroos descending to the beach of an evening to dine on fresh seaweed.

Lucky Bay, WA

At Pambula on the NSW south coast, the normally shy kangaroos graze unperturbed on grasses found around the town, particularly at the caravan park, in spite of human activity nearby, including cars and workers coming and going.

The 18-hole golf course at Anglesea, Vic., is set amidst native bushland, and is home to over three hundred untamed kangaroos, who graze the fairways daily. During early morning and late afternoon, flocks of between fifty and a hundred kangaroos invariably present a hazard to golfers on some fairways. Occasionally, golfers have struck kangaroos with golf balls on their drives, and on one notable occasion, a golfer landed a 'hole-in-one' into the pouch of a kangaroo, which nonchalantly hopped away with the ball still in its pouch! Kangaroos also frequent the fairways of the 18-hole golf course of Headland Golf Club at Golf links Road, Buderim, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast

Anglesea Golf Course, Vic

In Captivity

Kangaroos and koalas are the most sought after species of Australian wildlife that overseas visitors want to see during a visit to Australia, so all zoos, wildlife parks and sanctuaries have plenty of kangaroos and wallabies to keep their visitors happy.


Eastern grey kangaroos are often confused with the western grey kangaroos, which were initially considered a subspecies of the eastern grey. While a stark contrast in fur col our can be seen in the throat and other areas of the western grey, eastern grey kangaroos have a more even distribution in fur col our. The faces of the two species differ in that the western grey has a darker complexion as opposed to the almost white face of the eastern grey. Eastern greys also lacks the white patch on the upper thigh which is characteristic of a western grey. There is great sexual dimorphism in size, with the males ranging from twice to three times the mass of an average female.

Eastern grey kangaroos on the coastline will usually exhibit lighter coloured fur than those inland, which are considerably darker in colour. Eastern greys in Tasmania and the southern portions of Queensland also exhibit longer fur than in other areas. One other identifying characteristic is the black tip on the tails of this species. Females usually weigh up to about 40 kg, while males can weigh over twice as much, up to 90 kg. The standard metabolic rates of both eastern grey kangaroos and western grey kangaroos are lower than eutherians, although eastern grey kangaroos have a lower standard metabolic rate than western grey kangaroos.




Eastern grey kangaroos are seasonal breeders (spring and early summer), unlike some kangaroo species such as the red kangaroo or even the closely related western grey kangaroo, which breeds continuously as long as the conditions are good.


Food Habits


Conservation Status

There are almost 2 million eastern grey kangaroos in Australia and the surrounding areas, and thus, are not considered to be in any immediate danger of extinction. There was a sharp decline in the population of eastern grey kangaroos in the late 1990's especially in Tasmania. However, these kangaroos are now protected by law by the Australian government and most of their range is now on private property. This has enabled the eastern grey kangaroo population to increase and continue growing. There is a large kangaroo industry in Australia but the number of kangaroos killed each year is strictly monitored and regulated by the Australian government.

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