The Bronx Zoo has a new star: A Matschie’s tree-kangaroo calf made its first leap out of its mother’s pouch this week.
The baby tree kangaroo, born in late December, is the second of its kind to be born at the zoo since 2021 – and to the same kangaroo mother – according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo.
“With fewer than 2,500 Matschie’s tree-kangaroos left in the wild, they are considered endangered,” a zoo spokesperson said. “But visitors can now see the cub taking its first steps with its mother at the Bronx Zoo’s ‘JungleWorld’ exhibit.”
Tree kangaroo babies spend most of their development in their mother’s pouch. According to the zoo, the internal pregnancy lasts about six weeks.
At birth, they are about the size of a human thumbnail and immediately go into the pouch, from which they only emerge after about seven months, the zoo said.
The cub made its first public appearance last month when it was seen poking its head out of its mother’s pouch for the first time.
Matschie’s tree-kangaroos are native to the high mountain forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia.
Adult males can weigh up to 13.6 kilograms and reach a length of about 75 centimeters (excluding the tail), the zoo said.
