The Bronx Zoo has a new star: A Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey took its first leap out of its mother's pouch there this week.
The baby tree kangaroo, born in late December, is the second of its species born at the zoo — and to the same mother kangaroo — since 2021, 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 classified as endangered,” a spokesperson for the zoo said. “But visitors can now see the joey taking its first steps with its mother in the Bronx Zoo’s ‘JungleWorld’ exhibit.”
Tree kangaroo joeys spend most of their development in their mother's pouch, with internal gestation lasting about six weeks, according to the zoo.
At birth, they are roughly the size of a human thumbnail and immediately make their way into the pouch, only beginning to emerge after about seven months, the zoo said.
The joey made its public debut 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-altitude forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia.
Adult males can weigh up to 30 pounds and reach about 30 inches in length, not including their tails, the zoo said.