What is the term for a baby kangaroo?

A baby kangaroo is called a joey. The same term is also commonly used for the young of other Australian marsupials, including wallabies, koalas, and wombats.

Kangaroos give birth after a very short gestation of roughly 31–36 days. The newborn is extremely undeveloped: it is blind, hairless, and only a few centimetres long. Using its relatively well-developed forelimbs, it climbs through its mother’s fur into the pouch, where it attaches to a teat and continues developing.

A joey usually remains in the pouch for about nine months, although the timing varies by species. It may begin briefly venturing outside before leaving permanently, and it can continue nursing for many months afterward. Female kangaroos can also delay the development of a second embryo through embryonic diapause, allowing her reproductive cycle to adapt to drought or limited food. “Calf,” “cub,” and “pup” are used for young animals in other groups, but “joey” is the canonical term for a young kangaroo.