Baby Red Kangaroo Hops Into Lincoln Park Zoo

The newest member of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s kangaroo exhibit is up and hopping.

The latest arrival, a male red kangaroo named Jack, was actually born last December, the zoo said on its website. Kangaroos are born in a near-fetal state, and spend months growing inside their mother’s pouch before venturing out into the world.

Jack joins another joey, Coco, who was born last May. And soon they’ll both have even more company — a third joey at the zoo has just begun to peek outside its mother’s pouch, and could be hopping around soon, the zoo said.

Inspired by the movie “Kangaroo Jack,” 9-year-old Chicagoan Olivia Holness named the new arrival at a member event at the zoo. She called kangaroos her favorite animal, saying “they protect, they punch, they jump far and they are very interesting.”

Visitors can find the kangaroos at the Antelope & Zebra Area.