Monday 1 September 2008

Skippy the Ripper

Never get on the wrong side of a kangaroo. A jogger in Sunbury (NW of Melbourne) inadvertently separated a male Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) from its mob and suffered the consequences.
Paramedics treated a large scratch on the man's head, and smaller incisions on his chest, arms and hands.

He was transported to hospital in a stable condition.

Kangaroos often fight by wrestling with their opponents. The first video below demonstrates this as the incredibly annoying Marty Monster gets his comeuppance at the paws of a large male Red Kangaroo (M. rufus) called Rags. Or possibly Rambo.



But when a kangaroo gets really serious, it kicks out with its hind feet. Now, a simple belt in the belly would be painful enough. Those kicks are powered by muscles that can accelerate a 70 kg animal to a hopping speed of more than 40km/h. But it's worse than that. Kangaroos have highly-modified hind feet — the fourth toe is elongate and tipped with a big, heavy claw. So a kangaroo can deliver a kick with a real point. The second video shows what happens when a shirty Eastern Grey takes a disliking to a tourist in the Grampians in western Victoria. (Unaccountably, this video is categorized on You Tube as 'comedy'.)



My most recent encounter with wild grey kangaroos was much more pleasant. We all parted on good terms.