Is there something in her pouch?
My friend was pointing at one of the wallabies some distance away. It was sitting upright watching us intently. Then I saw the joey blinking -- baby wallabies are called joeys -- and I had my camera with me!
A joey will poke its head out of its mother's pouch at about 5 months of age. At around 6 months, they start venturing out on their own. This was our first sighting and there is a leg out!
Having lived there for awhile, my friend recognized that the mother wasn't the largest wallaby, Hoppy, but one of her daughters. So this is one of Hoppy's grandchildren.
What is the little guy thinking?
Did it change its mind?
Bennett's wallabies have a gestation of 29 days. When born, the joeys weigh less than a gram (.04 ounces) and somehow manage to climb into their mother's pouches despite appearing as little pink undeveloped blobs. They latch on to a teat to continue their development.
As she bent over, I thought it must be tiring to carry her joey around.
Was she continuing down the hill or, wait, perhaps she was encouraging it to get out?
The joey stayed put and... is it my imagination or is there an exasperated look on her face? Poor mom - he will be in and out of that pouch until he is about 9 months old.
References
My previous post on "Hoppy" the Bennett's Wallaby, Tasmania
Images
Photos taken with my Canon SX620 HS near Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Enjoy!
