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Watch a kangaroo punch a drone out of the sky

A drone operator in Australia underestimated the power of an angry roo.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr

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Image by Pmphoto, CC BY-SA 3.0

When you're flying a drone around animals, you do so at your own peril. Not every beast likes its space invaded by a strangely buzzing flying thing. And kangaroos? Kangaroos are a lot better at fighting than they look.

It's the big red roo that is most associated with the marsupials' fighting behaviour. Males will fight over females, holding each other in place while they balance back on their tails and kick with their powerful hind legs. However, all kangaroos are capable of a scrap -- especially when they feel threatened.

One drone operator found this out the hard way, filming Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia's Hunter Valley. When the drone flies too close to a doe and her joey, she goes into full mother-rage protective mode, jumping up to bash the copter out of the sky.

According to the video description on YouTube, while the footage could be recovered, the drone itself had completely carked it.

What a bonza sheila.