Social Organization and Daily Activity of the Red Kangaroo and the Grey Kangaroo

Abstract

Although red kangaroos, Macropus rufus , and grey kangaroos, M. canguru , each range in groups, they show few of the attributes of sociality usually found in gregarious mammals. An analysis of group-size frequencies implies that the size of groups is determined by an essentially random process of animals joining and leaving, the composition of groups being in a continual state of change. This suggests that the mean group size may be a useful index to density. The red kangaroo ( Macropus rufus ) and the grey kangaroo ( Macropus canguru ) have similar mean daily schedules of activity and rest, but grey kangaroos visit water about 3 times as often as reds, the latter species being better adapted to desert and semidesert conditions.

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