Observations of differential sex/age class mobility in red kangaroos (Macropus rufus)

Novel data indicating differential mobility in red kangaroo sex/age classes were collected in western New South Wales. The more mobile (or transient) members of the red kangaroo population were males aged between 1.1 and 10 years and to a lesser extent females aged between 1.1 and 3.6 years. Older males (> 10 years) and sexually mature females (> 3·6 years) generally were more sedentary and often showed site fidelity. Young-at-foot (< 1·1 years) exhibited similar patterns of movement to adult females because of their dependence on their mothers. Patterns of movement and the role played by the more mobile sex/age classes in terms of population ecology are discussed.