The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium in Highland Park has a new resident — a wallaby joey, born to mom Ava.
A wallaby is a marsupial, a pouched mammal in the kangaroo family. When they are young, they are called joeys.
The animal is spending a lot of time in the pouch of its 4-year-old mother, which is normal for the first few months, according to the zoo.
Recently it has left the pouch and is visible in the Kids Kingdom area of the zoo.
“The joey is spending more and more time out exploring but does not stray too far from mom,” Tiffani Thompson, curator of Kids Kingdom, said in a statement. “The joey still returns to the pouch and will continue to do so for quite a while. Ava is a great mom and has done an excellent job at raising her young one.”
The animal hasn’t been named and hasn’t been examined to determine if it is male or female.
Zoo staff first spotted the joey in April but it wasn’t until last month that the baby emerged and was hopping around.
The species of wallabies at the zoo are called Bennett and they are normally found along the eastern coast of Australia, according to the zoo. They have gray fur, white bellies and red fur around the neck and shoulders.
We proudly announce the addition of a literal bouncing baby – a wallaby joey! The yet-to-be-named joey is now visible to the public in Kids Kingdom, while still spending some time in the pouch of four-year-old mom, Ava. Learn More ➡️ https://t.co/4r2pIJHQCfpic.twitter.com/3yNTgDjWuV
— Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium (@PghZoo) June 6, 2024
They can jump up to 13 feet high and move at nine mph. Their life expectancy is up to five years.
The zoo has five wallabies, counting the new joey. Three are males — Zip, Alvin, Theodore — and one is female, named Ava.