User:Danielle Chibuzo/Western Grey Kangaroo

Diet
It feeds at night, mainly on grasses but also on leafy shrubs and low trees. It has a nickname "stinker" because mature males have a distinctive curry-like odour.

Core Body Temperature
The western grey kangaroo is a nocturnal species that has a core body temperature that varies based on daily ambient temperatures. On days that were expected to be hotter, the kangaroo’s core body temperature was much lower than days that were cooler [1]. This reduced summer body temperature is thought to allow the species to conserve energy during a time when food availability is low. In another study conducted to explain why the western grey kangaroo’s core body temperature decreases as summer progresses, researchers found that as surrounding temperatures increased by 21°C during the day, wild kangaroos’ core body temperature decreased by ~1°C [2]. Researchers also discovered that changes in core temperature were tightly controlled during active hours at night [3]. This species is known to use a unique evaporative mechanism called saliva spreading to cool themselves down, but they appear to only use it during exercise, it was not frequently observed [4].

Reproduction and development
The western grey kangaroo lives in groups of up to 15. The males compete for females during the breeding season. During these "boxing" contests, they lock arms and try to push each other over. Usually, only the dominant male in the group mates. The gestation period is 30–31 days, after which the incompletely developed fetus (referred to as a joey) attaches to the teat in the pouch for 130–150 days. Females sexually mature at 17 months while males mature at around 20 months.