Why Do Kangaroos Play With Their Balls?
Contents
Kangaroos live across much of Australia, and people there are used to their odd habits. Some of those habits, like the reason behind every weird action kangaroos take when they fight, are well studied.
One habit that gets a lot of laughs online is male kangaroos seeming to play with their testicles. So what is really going on?
Kangaroos aren’t really "playing." A male kangaroo touching, scratching or licking his scrotum is most likely just grooming or scratching an itch, which kangaroos do all over their bodies. Kangaroos also lick their skin, especially their forearms, to cool down on hot days.
Below, we look at this behavior and a few facts about male kangaroos.
Is It Normal For Kangaroos To Play With Their Balls?
Yes. It’s normal for male kangaroos to touch, scratch or lick their scrotum.
Kangaroos spend a lot of time grooming. They use their forepaws and mouths to clean fur and scratch itches, and the groin is no exception.
They also lick their skin to cool off. The saliva evaporates and draws heat away from the blood near the surface, which is why kangaroos often lick their forearms in hot weather.
So if you see a male kangaroo that looks like he’s playing with his testicles, he is most likely grooming. It looks funny, but it’s nothing unusual.
Why Do Kangaroos Balls Hang So Low?
Like many male mammals, kangaroos have an external scrotum. In mammals, sperm production generally works best a little below core body temperature, and keeping the testes outside the body helps with that.
Kangaroos can also pull the scrotum up against the body, for example when moving fast.
Do Male Kangaroos Have Balls?
Yes. Male kangaroos have a furry, pendulous scrotum. Unusually, in kangaroos and other marsupials the scrotum sits in front of the penis instead of behind it.
When not in use, the penis is kept retracted inside the body near the cloaca, the shared opening for waste and reproduction.
How Do Kangaroos Mate?
Red kangaroos breed all year round, though most young are born in spring and summer. In dry times, when food is scarce, breeding slows or stops.
A female usually has one joey at a time. The newborn is about the size of a jellybean and crawls straight into the mother’s pouch.
Females can also pause the development of a new embryo until the previous joey leaves the pouch. This is called embryonic diapause.
Males sniff a female’s urine to check if she is ready to mate. Rival males may fight over a female, and the largest, strongest male usually wins the right to mate.
Final Words
When you see a male kangaroo touching or licking his scrotum, he is most likely just grooming or scratching. Kangaroos lick their skin, especially their forearms, to stay cool, so licking is a normal part of their day.
Sources
- Red Kangaroo, Australian Museum
- How to help native animals in hot weather, Government of South Australia, Department for Environment and Water
