Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Young Male, Victoria, Australia

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Eastern grey kangaroos are among the most gentle, benign, and placid wild animals I have encountered. They have wide and almost continuous distribution between Australia's inland plains and the coast where the annual rainfall is more than 250mm (9.9 inches). They are found over most of Australia's eastern states including Tasmania at all altitudes from woodlands to subalpine areas. Eastern Grey Kangaroos live in groups, called mobs, that range in size from around ten to more than 100 animals.

One day I observed this youngster "fighting" a mature male several times his size. The youngster was flailing away, his fists a blur. The adult was deflecting every punch perfectly and occasionally giving the youngster a pretty hard tap.The youngster seemed very serious but a single serious punch from the adult would have sent him flying or worse. It was a learning experience the youngster would need in later life. This "fight" continued for a surprisingly long time. Then the adult leaned back on his tail and kicked hard with both hind legs. Had the kick landed the youngster would be seriously injured. Instead the adult's kick only grazed the fur on both sides of the youngster, who immediately stopped throwing punches. That was the first and only kick of the "fight". The youngster continued to stand his ground facing the adult, staring at the adult with daggers in his eyes. I think the youngster had just learned about kicking, but was not sure enough of himself to give it a try.