A Clever Kangaroo in Australia Just Figured Out How To Score Snacks Without Much Effort

Many humans may still have to learn it, but one kangaroo in Australia has mastered the art of smart work. Dubbed a “lazy genius,” this kangaroo earns a living by doing what he loves to do and what he is gifted to do. Most days, he uses his creative gift of “acting” to have anything he desires: food, attention, and some nice petting. Footage of him resurfacing on social media has prompted people to appeal to the Oscars to add his name to the next nominations for being the “best actor.” The footage, shared on X by @TansuYegen, shows the kangaroo acting like he fainted so he could get food and attention from the tourists. Although the original videographer remains unknown, Zamin reports that the footage was filmed in an Australian zoo.

The 13-second footage shows the sullen-faced actor lying on a grassy patch, surrounded by tourists squatted and standing around him. Some of them seem to be recording his videos on their smartphones, while others appear to rub and pummel his velvety body. One tourist extends her hand into a plastic cup and scoops out food, most likely seeds or nuts. She then lowers her hand to put food into the kangaroo’s mouth, who’s already bobbing his head upwards to receive the morsel.

The actor nibbles on the food and then turns his head sideways to receive some more from the palm of another tourist. Once he has gobbled down the food, he turns his head towards another side, still munching on the snacks, appearing satisfied. “Kangaroo pretends to faint so tourists give him attention and food,” the X user wrote in the video caption. The adorable footage prompted a domino of reactions from the viewers, who were clearly enraptured by the guy’s fine acting skills.

“Good actor,” commented @lingodotdev. @EvelynKoskinen quipped, “Some kangaroos have better acting skills than a lot of politicians.” @showtime5_5 said, “Central casting everywhere! The animals learn it too.” On Instagram, where the footage was reposted by @brightworldnews, user @fitzy664 said, “My wife does the same thing.” @monsieur.nonosan tried to write from the perspective of the kangaroo, “Kangaroo: ’I am a fainter, not a fighter!’” @grace_p1005 said, “Oscar-worthy performance!”

While the entire episode unleashed quite a stir on the internet, science says that kangaroos actually are very skilled in communicating with humans. In the study published in the journal Biology Letters, researchers documented behaviors of several Australian kangaroos that displayed a variety of gestures and signs each time they needed food from humans. This includes intently gazing into their eyes when they failed to open the box of food and looking back and forth between the humans and the box, as if to say, “Can you give me a hand with this?”

Some kangaroos, the researchers noted, may act like dogs or goats to request humans to provide them with food. Others may scratch a human’s feet or knees to get attention. But the fact that the kangaroo in the abovementioned footage used his brilliant acting skills to get what he wanted shows how intelligent these animals can be. So the next time you are in Australia, make sure to carry an extra box of snacks, because great artists should never go under-appreciated. And this rising star is already on his way towards the Golden Globes, believe it or not!