The western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, is a large and very common kangaroo found across almost the entire southern part of Australia, from just south of Shark Bay through coastal Western Australia and South Australia, into western Victoria, and in the entire Murray–Darling basin in New South Wales and Queensland.
Taxonomy
Long known to the Aboriginal Australians, for Europeans, the western grey kangaroo was the centre of a great deal of sometimes comical taxonomic confusion for almost 200 years. It was first noted by European explorers when Matthew Flinders landed on Kangaroo Island in 1802. Flinders shot several for food, but assumed that they were eastern grey kangaroos. In 1803, French explorers captured several Kangaroo Island western grey kangaroos and shipped them to Paris, where they lived in the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes for some years. Eventually, researchers at the Paris Museum of Natural History recognized that these animals were indeed distinct from the eastern grey kangaroo and formally described the species as Macropus fuliginosus in 1817. For reasons that remain unclear, the species was, later in 1888, incorrectly described as native to Tasmania. It was not until 1924 that researchers realized that the "forester kangaroo" of Tasmania was in fact Macropus giganteus, the same eastern grey kangaroo that was, and still is, widespread in the southeastern part of the mainland, and reaffirmed Kangaroo Island as the source of the type specimens. It exhibits sexual dimorphism with the male up to twice the size of female. It has thick, coarse fur with colour ranging from pale grey to brown; its throat, chest and belly have a paler colour.
Ecology and behaviour
thumb|A mother with a joey photographed at the [[Donnelly Mills in Western Australia]]
Diet
It feeds at night, mainly on grasses and forbs but also on leafy shrubs and low trees. During the Late Pleistocene, its diet was more varied and incorporated a greater proportion of C<sub>4</sub> plants relative to that of present western grey kangaroos. It has a nickname "stinker" because mature males have a distinctive curry-like odour.
Thermoregulation
The western grey kangaroo is a nocturnal species that varies its core body temperature based on daily ambient temperatures. The kangaroo's lowest daily core body temperature occurs mid-morning. In the summer, this was 2.2 °C (4 °F) lower than during cooler spring days. This reduced summer body temperature is thought to allow the species to conserve energy during a time when food availability is low.
Reproduction and development
thumb|A female suckling her joey at the Darling range in Western Australia
The western grey kangaroo lives in groups of up to 15, and the males compete for females during the breeding season. During these "boxing" contests, they lock arms and try to push each other over. Usually, only the dominant male in the group mates. Females reach sexual maturity at 17 months while males mature at around 20 months.
Relationship with humans
The western grey kangaroo is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, with a population showing an increasing trend. Total population within the commercial harvest areas is estimated to be around 3,800,000 individuals in 2020.
Though the feeding habits of M. fuliginosus can be problematic for agriculture, it is protected and controlled exclusively by the state faunal authorities.