A new face can be seen at Salina’s Rolling Hills Zoo.

According to the organization, their newest baby to show his face is a joey, born approximately October 2016 to red kangaroos, Nala, mother (a dam), and sired by Davy.  The normal gestation period for a kangaroo is thirty-three days.

At birth a newborn joey is smaller than a cherry.  Following birth the joey will climb into its mother’s pouch and will not emerge for two months.  Up until eight months of age, a young kangaroo will quickly dive for safety into its mother’s pouch whenever they sense a threat.

Nala is two years old and arrived at Rolling Hills Zoo in August of 2016.  Davy, now 10 years old, has been at the Zoo since 2007.   This is Nala’s first joey and she is doing quite well.

Currently this little one is peeking its head is out a bit.  The joey is beginning to see what the dam is eating and should start to sample grass and leaves, and when it does guests will be able to see it out of the pouch for brief periods of time.   The joey will be independent at 9 months of age.

There are nearly sixty species in the kangaroo family found in Australia, New Guinea, and the nearby islands.  They range in size from the tiny, one-pound musky rat kangaroo to the large red kangaroos.