Editing Kangaroo (section)

=== Social and sexual behavior ===
[[File:Fighting red kangaroos 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Two male [[red kangaroo]]s boxing]]
Groups of kangaroos are called ''mobs'', ''courts'' or ''troupes'', which usually have 10 or more kangaroos in them. Living in mobs can provide protection for some of the weaker members of the group.<ref name="Kidcyber"/> The size and stability of mobs vary between geographic regions,<ref name = "McCullough 2000">{{harvnb|McCullough|2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Green-Barber |first1=JM |last2=Old |first2=JM |year=2018 |title=Town roo, country roo: a comparison of behaviour in eastern grey kangaroos (''Macropus giganteus'') in developed and natural landscapes |journal=Australian Zoologist |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=520–533 |doi=10.7882/AZ.2018.019|s2cid=134213663 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Green-Barber |first1=JM |last2=Old |first2=JM |year=2018 |title=The genetic relatedness of a peri-urban population of eastern grey kangaroos |journal=BMC Research Notes |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=856 |doi=10.1186/s13104-018-3969-2|pmid=30514393 |pmc=6280538 |doi-access=free }}</ref> with eastern Australia having larger and more stable aggregations than in arid areas farther west.<ref name="McCullough 2000"/> Larger aggregations display high amounts of interactions and complex social structures, comparable to that of [[ungulate]]s.<ref name="McCullough 2000"/>

One common behavior is nose touching and sniffing, which mostly occurs when an individual joins a group.<ref name="Dawson 1995">{{cite book |author=Dawson, Terence J. |title=Kangaroos: Biology of the Largest Marsupials |publisher=Cornell University Press/Comstock Publishing |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8014-8262-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/kangaroosbiology00daws }}</ref> The kangaroo performing the sniffing gains much information from smell cues. This behavior enforces social cohesion without consequent aggression. During mutual sniffing, if one kangaroo is smaller, it will hold its body closer to the ground and its head will quiver, which serves as a possible form of submission.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> Greetings between males and females are common, with larger males being the most involved in meeting females. Most other non-antagonistic behavior occurs between mothers and their young. Mother and young reinforce their bond through grooming. A mother will groom her young while it is suckling or after it is finished suckling.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/>  A joey will nuzzle its mother's pouch if it wants access to it.

{{Anchor|Sexual behavior}}
[[Animal sexual behavior|Sexual activity]] of kangaroos consists of consort pairs.<ref name = "Gansloßer 1995"/> [[Estrus|Oestrous]] females roam widely and attract the attention of males with conspicuous signals.<ref name = "Gansloßer 1995">{{cite journal |author=Gansloßer, Udo |title=Courtship behaviour in Macropodoidea (kangaroos, wallabies and rat kangaroos)&nbsp;– phylogenetic and ecological influences on ritualization |journal=Mammal Review |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=131–157 |year=1995 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1995.tb00453.x |bibcode=1995MamRv..25..131G }}</ref> A male will monitor a female and follow her every movement. He sniffs her urine to see if she is in oestrus, a process exhibiting the [[flehmen response]]. The male will then proceed to approach her slowly to avoid alarming her.<ref name = "McCullough 2000"/> If the female does not run away, the male will continue by licking, pawing, and scratching her, and [[copulation (zoology)|copulation]] will follow.<ref name = "McCullough 2000"/> After copulation is over, the male will move on to another female. Consort pairing may take several days and the copulation is also long. Thus, a consort pair is likely to attract the attention of a rival male.<ref name = "Gansloßer 1995"/> As larger males are tending bonds with females near oestrus, smaller males will tend to females that are farther from oestrus.<ref name = "McCullough 2000"/> [[dominance (ethology)|Dominant]] males can avoid having to sort through females to determine their reproductive status by searching for tending bonds held by the largest male they can displace without a fight.<ref name = "McCullough 2000"/>

Fighting has been described in all species of kangaroos. Fights between kangaroos can be brief or long and ritualised.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> In highly competitive situations, such as males fighting for access to oestrous females or at limited drinking spots, the fights are brief.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> Both sexes will fight for drinking spots, but long, ritualised fighting or "boxing" is largely done by males. Smaller males fight more often near females in oestrus, while the large males in consorts do not seem to get involved. Ritualised fights can arise suddenly when males are grazing together. However, most fights are preceded by two males scratching and grooming each other.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> One or both of them will adopt a high standing posture, with one male issuing a challenge by grasping the other male's neck with its forepaw. Sometimes, the challenge will be declined. Large males often reject challenges by smaller males. During fighting, the combatants adopt a high standing posture and paw at each other's heads, shoulders and chests. They will also lock forearms and wrestle and push each other as well as balance on their tails to kick each other in the abdomen.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/>

Brief fights are similar, except there is no forearm locking. The losing combatant seems to use kicking more often, perhaps to parry the thrusts of the eventual winner. A winner is decided when a kangaroo breaks off the fight and retreats. Winners are able to push their opponents backwards or down to the ground. They also seem to grasp their opponents when they break contact and push them away.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> The initiators of the fights are usually the winners. These fights may serve to establish dominance hierarchies among males, as winners of fights have been seen to displace their opponent from resting sites later in the day.<ref name="Dawson 1995"/> Dominant males may also pull grass to intimidate subordinate ones.<ref name = "McCullough 2000"/>