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Western grey kangaroo        Images © Mark A. Chappell

Western grey kangaroos are one of the four or five largest living marsupials.   They are found in a variety of habitats in the western 2/3 of Australia, ranging from arid scrublands to wet coastal forests.   Western greys very closely resemble eastern grey kangaroos and only an expert can tell them apart in the field (I consulted such a person, Professor Terry Dawson, about these pictures to be sure of the identification, as the place where I took many of the images supports populations of both species).   Most kangaroos, including greys, are largely nocturnal and I took most of these photos early in the morning before the animals had retreated to cover (Fowlers Gap Research Station, north of Broken Hill, New South Wales).   A few were taken in southwestern Western Australia.

  • bottom: Nikon F3, Leitz 560mm f5.6, Kodachrome 64 (1988)
  • others: Canon 1D3 or 40D, 500 mm f4 IS lens, some with 1.4X extender, or 70-200 f4 IS zoom (2009)