The truth behind those photos of a 'mourning' kangaroo

'This is a male trying to get a female to stand up so he can mate with her'

Male Kangeroo holding the head of his dying mate

A series of photos showing a male kangaroo cradling his dying mate that went viral on social media have taken an unsettling turn.

Far from mourning for its lost companion, experts have now said the male was probably trying to lift the female upright so it could have sex with it.

Evan Switzer, 49, who took the photos in Queensland, Australia, said of them: "I saw the male pick up the female, he looked like he was just trying to get her up and see what was wrong with her.

“He would lift her up and she wouldn’t stand she’d just fall to the ground, he’d nudge her, stand beside her... it was a pretty special thing, he was just mourning the loss of his mate."

However, the sexually aroused adult male was in fact likely guarding the dying female from other males in the area who might attempt to mate with it.

Dr Mark Eldridge, principal research scientist of the mammalogy section at the Australian Museum, wrote in a blog: 'The male is clearly highly stressed and agitated, his forearms are very wet from him licking himself to cool down.

'He is also sexually aroused: the evidence is here sticking out from behind the scrotum

'This is a male trying to get a female to stand up so he can mate with her.'

Kangaroos breed all year round but mating happens most in spring and early summer, said Dr Eldridge.