Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Taronga Zoo wallaby has unexpected birth

A Taronga Zoo wallaby has given birth to a joey a year after mating using a survival mechanism that allows them to pause development in the womb.

Taronga Zoo has had an unexpected addition with a female wallaby giving birth to a joey after apparently being celibate for a year.

Keepers were left stumped when they saw the joey peeking out of female Mica's pouch because her last contact with mate Sam was in March, 2015.

And that rendezvous resulted in a birth weeks later.

According to the zoo it's possible the two secretly mated again and Mica put the baby on hold in her womb for more than a year using a survival mechanism known as embryonic diapause.

The phenomenon, which usually occurs during drought, allows mothers to delay the development and birth of their young.

Mica is said to to be in good health and the new joey has begun taking its first wobbly steps outside the pouch.


1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world