The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium proudly announces 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.

When joeys are born, they are the size of a jellybean. Unlike other mammals, marsupial babies spend the first several months of their lives safely tucked away inside their mother’s pouch. This pocket nursery provides a safe place for the infant to grow, sleep, nurse, and keep warm. The joey was born in late October 2023 and, as normal with marsupials, did not emerge from the pouch for several months. Zoo staff have allowed the healthy joey time to bond with mom, so have not yet examined if the joey is male or female.

Staff first noticed the youngster peeking out the pouch in early April but did not emerge entirely for another month. In May, the “walla-baby” was observed hopping around mom several times, but would return to the pouch in the event of something new or strange.

“The joey is spending more and more time out exploring but does not stray too far for mom,” says Tiffani Thompson, Curator of Kids Kingdom. “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.”

Bennett’s wallabies, the species in residence at the Pittsburgh Zoo, are natively found along the eastern coast of Australia. Their gray fur, white bellies, and red fur around the neck and shoulders allows them to blend in with their forest surroundings. Hopping is a wallaby’s most efficient means of travel, and they can jump up to 13 feet in a single bound and move at speeds of about nine miles per hour. Bennett’s wallabies’ median life expectancy is up to five years. They do not currently face significant conservation threats. Dingoes, feral dogs and cats, and red foxes are among their predators, as well as humans, as they are sometimes killed as pests or involved in vehicular accidents as they often roam near roads and urban areas.

Including the newborn, the Zoo is now home to nine wallabies, seven males and one female – Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Zip, Finn, Duke, JJ, and Ava. You can see the whole mob, including the joey, in the Wallaby Walkabout in Kids Kingdom.