Mammals
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Macropus giganteus · also called great grey kangaroo, eastern gray kangaroo
At first light, a mob of eastern grey kangaroos spreads across an open paddock to graze, while two males spar nearby, bracing on their tails to trade powerful kicks in a boxing match that will settle which one ranks higher within the group.
Overview
The eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, is one of the most commonly seen kangaroo species, native to grassland and forest habitat across eastern Australia and Tasmania. Its large grazing mobs, distinctive male boxing matches, and preference for wetter habitat than its arid-adapted red kangaroo relative make it one of the more familiar and abundant large marsupials found anywhere in Australia.
A grassland grazer built for boxing
Few sights capture Australia’s grasslands quite like a mob of eastern grey kangaroos grazing at dawn, punctuated occasionally by two males rising onto their tails to trade kicks in a contest that settles rank without the need for serious injury.
Status
Least Concern, remaining abundant and widespread across suitable grassland and forest habitat throughout eastern Australia, with locally stable to increasing numbers in many areas.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo: common questions
Why do eastern grey kangaroos box each other?
Male individuals of this species establish dominance and rank within a mob through boxing matches, bracing on their tails to deliver powerful kicks with their hind legs while grappling with their forearms, a display that helps determine access to mates without necessarily causing serious injury.
How is the eastern grey kangaroo different from the red kangaroo?
This species generally favours wetter, more vegetated grassland and forest habitat along Australia's eastern regions, in contrast to the red kangaroo, which is more strongly associated with the continent's arid interior, making habitat and range the clearest way to distinguish the two large kangaroo species.
How does an eastern grey kangaroo raise its young?
A female of this species carries a single joey in a forward-facing pouch for several months after birth, and the joey continues to nurse even after it first begins leaving the pouch to graze alongside its mother.
Why do eastern grey kangaroos gather in mobs?
This species forms large grazing groups called mobs, likely as a strategy that offers greater collective vigilance against predators while grazing in open grassland during the cooler parts of the day, such as dawn and dusk.