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Clip description
This clip shows a kangaroo external embryo suckling in its mother’s pouch in the early stages of its development. The pouch opening is held open to allow the camera to film in close-up as the voice-over explains how the four-month-old embryo receives nutrients from the mother. The next shots show a 200- day-old joey old enough to leave the pouch. The clip ends with the joey hopping back into the mother’s pouch.
Curator’s notes
This was the first film production to show the birth and development of a kangaroo in such detail. These are fascinating up-close and intimate shots of the joey embryo suckling on the teat. Earlier in the film, the camera films a live birth and shows the tiny embryo making its way up its mother’s fur into the pouch.
