What a classic 70’ies tune that is. Hu!
Those guys are as fast as lightning. Ha! No other No song would suit this slideshow better as I watched these two roo youngsters kick-off their quest to mate.
There certainly were some Kung-fu moves in this tussle. These two Batchelors were practising their skill-set for future confrontations.
Right here at Woody Head’s stunning foreshore and right in front of myself and my camera. What are the odds for this to happen? Expect the unexpected, I can’t say it often enough. All throughout the animal kingdom, childhood mates become rivals to earn the right to roost.
And that’s the reason why. Testosterone driven males.
This very impressive boomer appears to be a visitor from the western ranges and enjoys a change of pace by the ocean. It is the holiday season after all, not only for humans.
I called him Maximus Joe, which is an appropriate name for this gentle giant.
He is well-fed and at his physical prime.
His pegs alone could crush their balls. Max is not to be messed with and he knows it.
He hasn’t much to worry about in his natural world, not even humans.
He can graze at his own leisure and wasn’t bothered by my photoshoot.
Eat, root, leaf and repeat. What a life.
The urge to reproduce is burnt into any male’s brain. It’s the need to compete for reproductive rights.
mom and offspring @Woody Head, Northern New South Wales, Australia
Females of any species are drawn to the selected ruler, who is strong enough to defend their territory and possesses robust genetics.
Kangaroo mums are extremely devoted and caring mothers. This deep bond is directly connected to their upbringing in the pouch.
To come up trumps one day and live their own leisured life, these two teenagers will face some fierce conflicts in the future.
They require to practice and practice some more.Its best to remind his mate.
The slightly bigger male was the perpetual instigator of this amazingly long stand-off.
He used the element of surprise surprisingly often.
But the smaller roo stood his ground and wasn’t bullied and pushed around.
Kangaroos have two main weapons. Extremely sharp claws can afflict deep cuts on soft tissue.
Particularly around their eyes.
This must be avoided at all costs.
The kangaroo neck-bend does just that.
However, the camera revealed that some needle-sharp daggers were only millimetres away from the eye socket.
A case off ‘could have, would have, should have’!
Covering the blind spot is tricky for an animal with short arms and long legs. One needs to claw but defend with both paws at the same time. Each contestant’s face needs to stay out of reach of the opponent’s spikes.
But staying too far away from each other could open the door for the kangaroo’s heavy artillery.
Their extremely powerful hind legs.
The rigorous force of a single kick causes some serious pain.
A set of claws could slice soft tissue like a can of tins.
To land a lethal assault, boomers require a perfect technique.
Kangaroos have a long and strong extension to their body for two reasons.
It balances their movement at speed to cut corners almost immediately.
Furthermore and just as important, the tail acts as the third point of contact to the ground whilst standing up.
This allows the attacking rival to push off and propel forward with their tail to apply extra damaging force with both legs.
This is a seriously painful scenario, which must be prevented by any gladiator.
Martial arts within the boomer rank.
Despite this sinister behaviour, my camera revealed a rather charming side between these two mates.
This squabble was just a practical exercise of inexperienced friends.
They acted upon their hormonal instincts and often showed the opposite side of this violent behaviour.
In fact, the slides revealed rather comical interactions. And this is how this scuffle analysed on my lens and how I interpreted this push and shove in no particular order.
Hallelujah!
A game of rock, paper and scissors decided on, who will kick-off.
Mhhh?! Not really what the audience expected.
A dance-off?
Tango would impress females and needs to be practised just as well.
Left-right, left-right.
Listen to the beat and repeat.
That’s more like it.
The younger sibling appeared mesmerised by some mighty tailgating.
An energetic jump to the rump. Ka-roo-te.
Hang on a minute, I need to compose myself.
Are you chicken, MacFly?
No one calls me a rooster
I have seen this move in an eighties movie? The Roo!
Let me matrix you with this.
The Sssss-nake.
Mom wasn’t impressed at all by these teenage shenanigans.
Joey! What’s with all that ruckus? I am trying to feed your brother!
Sorry, mom.
You need to stay focused, my friend. But you’re going down.
Watch for the scissor hand.
Aww, you look so cute when you’re angry.
Where’s the baby?
I do like your fur.
So fluffy, yet waterproof. What shampoo do you use?
You’re my best friend but we have to practice!
Tired mate?
After a long stand-off it was time to lay down.
For now, both parties were rooted and enjoyed some green grass side by side. How cute.
It was fascinating to watch this spa-off and I kept my finger firmly on the shutter button.
These two youngsters still need to practice a lot.
They have been playmates all their life.
An unmissable bond between them shows on these pictures. Primal instincts collide with childhood friendship.
The price of growing up. But there’s still plenty of time for that. My conclusion about this tussle?
Kangaroos would suit an animated action movie even better than pandas.
Travels with Ben 