One of the Lincoln Children’s Zoo’s newest additions was the size of a lima bean when it was born.
Then the Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey promptly — and blindly — crawled into its mother’s pouch to nurse and grow, and it’s remained there for 27 weeks.
But it should soon start making appearances, the zoo said this week in a release announcing the joey’s early May birth to mother Judie and father Bexley.
At 28 weeks, tree kangaroos begin to explore outside the pouch, and at 40 weeks they leave it completely — though they will continue to stick their heads inside to nurse.
The zoo will name the joey once they can determine its gender.
Matschie’s tree kangaroos, found on the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea, are considered an endangered species, meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the wild.
And Lincoln’s zoo has been part of a network trying to bolster their population since 2003. It participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species survival plan, which dictates the breeding and distribution of animals to try to keep their genetics diverse.
In fact, of the 42 Matschie’s tree kangaroos in zoos in North America, 14 are descended from the Lincoln zoo’s breeding program.
“This is an incredible accomplishment and important for animal conservation efforts considering the continued decrease of the tree kangaroo population in the wild,†CEO Evan Killeen said in the release.
Judie and the joey are on exhibit, but it spends so much time in its mother’s pouch that sightings could be elusive. It should be more visible to visitors in the coming months, the zoo said.