A kangaroo in a Siberian zoo who was thought to be male has surprised everyone by delivering a baby, it appears.
“It has a lovely face and a beautiful little tail,” Barnaul Zoo, says, describing the young kangaroo on its website. “Because birth for kangaroos is a very mysterious and long process, it went unnoticed by staff zoo,” it adds.The baby kangaroo, known as a joey, was about 15cm (6in) in size when it was discovered on 22 March, suggesting it was born some time ago. Kangaroos are about the size of a cherry when they are born, and can then spend several months in their mother’s pouch before they start venturing out.
The mother was identified as a male at another zoo, before she arrived in Barnaul, and she had already been given the name Chuck. But in light of the discovery that she is indeed a female, zoo director Sergey Pisarev says, “His mother probably needs to be renamed,” the Itar-Tass news agency reports. – BBC News
