Pat Dunn, age 9, of De Pere, Wisconsin, for the question:
How big is a baby kangaroo?
The kangaroo is a native of Australia and the Australians call a baby kangaroo a Joey. So whether he is a boy or a girl, Junior's name is Joey. And Joey is almost always an only child. Big, handsome Mama is a marsupial. This means she has a built‑in cradle to hold her baby. It is fold of soft skin forming a fur‑lined pouch on her tummy.
This pouch makes a very handy cradle. For Mama spends most of her time in an upright position. She squats upright on her sturdy back legs as she eats and looks around. She travels in an upright position, leaping through the air on those long, strong back legs. This leaves her dainty hands and arms free to tend to Joey in her pouch.
Joey's cradle is so comfortable that the little fellow cannot wait to get into it. He is a mammal, like the cats and dogs, and mammal babies are born alive. Most mammal‑babies, however, wait to develop inside mamma before they are born. They may be born blind and naked, but they are developed enough to resemble their parents.
Not so Joey. He just can't wait to develop enough to resemble anybody. He rushes to get born and placed in that wonderful fur lined pouch. He is helpless, blind, pink and naked. At birth he is but one inch long and looks more like a mouse than a kangaroo.
If Joey is a boy, Mama will see to it that the tiny mite grows into a big fellow six feet tall, plus four feet of sturdy tail. He will weigh 200 pounds and travel in giant leaps. Normally, his leaps will take him five or ten feet at a time. But when in a hurry, our Joey will be able to leap ten feet high in strides of 25 feet. When fully grown, the Australians will call him Boomer, or Forester. He will be a Great Grey Kangaroo, the largest of the kangaroo family.
If our little Joey is a girl, she will grow up to be called a Flyer. She will seem to earn her nickname, indeed, as she flies through the air on giant strides.
It is hard to believe that every big kangaroo began life as an inch long baby. Once inside Mamas pouch little Joey settles down to finish developing. He feeds on mother's milk, nestling in her fur and paying no attention to anyone. At first he is too weak to take milk for himself. Mama forces it into his little mouth.
In about four months Joey has a fur coat and a pair of floppy ears. He begins to wonder about the big world outdoors. His bright eyes peep out over the pouch. He watches Mama feed and she gives him a leaf. He learns to reach out and gather leaves for himself. Soon he hops out on small excursions, He really does not leave home until he gets too big for Mama's comfort. Even so, he does not leave her side until he is fully grown.