San Antonio Zoo Shares Video of Precious Baby Kangaroo Popping Out to Say Hello
Baby kangaroos, also known as joeys, spend a lot of their time hanging out in their moms' pouches. Sometimes they'll pop their little heads out to look around, and that's exactly what San Antonio Zoo caught one of their little guys doing recently. They shared a video on Sunday, February 4th of one of their joeys popping out to say hello.
The video is only eight seconds long, but it's absolutely adorable. It starts with his little head popping out of mom's pouch, and then he takes an arm out too. Watch at the end - it looks like he waves to the camera!
Too cute, right?! I wish the video was longer because I wanted to see if he would come out or how it looks when he goes back in. @San Antonio Zoo commenters couldn't get enough of all the cuteness. @Michelle pointed out, "This would be cute with that ‘“Good Morning!” sound!" I agree! And I couldn't help but laugh at @FosterPupz who said, "Kangaroos are cute and all, but I am deeply grateful that humans did not evolve with a baby carrying pouch!!"
Related: Baby Rescue Kangaroo Takes Her Very First Steps in Adorable Footage
How Long Do Baby Kangaroos Stay In Mom's Pouch?
After watching the adorable video about 10 times, I wondered how long that the babies live in their mama's pouches. It could just be my perception, but that little kangaroo looked pretty big to me!
Kangaroos are born tiny...like one inch tiny! They are born blind, hairless, and completely dependent on their mother for everything. Babies remain in the pouch for up to their first birthday and won't even leave the pouch for any length of time until they are 6-9 months old. During the time they are in the pouch, they are eating, growing, and getting their fur. For the first 4-5 months, they are always connected to their mother's teat, and the mom doesn't really have to do anything else for them. You wouldn't even be able to tell that a mom had a baby in her pouch until they are about 3 months old, when you start to see it moving around inside.
Even after the baby kangaroo leave mom's pouch for good, they still need it. They have to put their heads into the pouch to drink milk until they are about a year and a half old.
Before kangaroos leave the pouch for the first time, they start getting curious about leaving and will stick their heads out a few times to check out the world before taking their first steps and hops. I wonder if that is what the joey in the video was doing. Hopefully when he makes his first appearance out of the pouch, the zoo will share it with us.
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