'Male' kangaroo gives birth to baby at zoo
A kangaroo thought to be a male has given birth to a baby at a zoo in Siberia.
According to the BBC, Bernail Zoo said: "It has a lovely face and a beautiful little tail. Because birth for kangaroos is a very mysterious and long process, it went unnoticed by staff zoo."
Chuck was introduced to the zoo last year to enhance the visitor experience with a new male kangaroo.
But zoo staff were surprised when Chuck turned out to be a female after they spotted a joey in its pouch, the Daily Mail reports.
According to Itar-Tass, after the birth of the new baby, zoo director Sergey Pisarev said: "His mother probably needs to be renamed".
Kangaroo pregnancies can be easily missed and are almost impossible to understand as the embryo develops into a pouch. Kangaroos are about the size of a cherry when they are born and can spend up to several months in their mother's pouch before they come out.
In 2012, a strange-looking creature was borne in Australia and nicknamed a rat-kangaroo.
The hungry little bettong was fed four times a day to help him grow up big and strong. The baby marsupial was being cared for at Wild Action Zoo in Victoria.
Named Rufous, he was one of many young native animals being cared for at the private zoo.
Run by Chris Humfrey, the zoo works hard to educate people about rare Australian animals and the team visits schools, workplaces and other venues. Young Rufous will one day help to introduce his species to many other Australians.
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