A Queensland photographer has captured a heartbreaking scene of mourning in the wild, in which a male kangaroo cradles his dead mate as a joey looks on.Or so it seemed.

A wildlife expert later explained the images had actually captured a male in a state of sexual arousal rather than mourning.

The photographer, Evan Switzer was walking his dog in bushland at River Heads, south of Hervey Bay, on Monday afternoon, when he came across the three kangaroos, one of which had recently died.

He watched on as the male repeatedly attempted to stand his mate up, only to have her fall to the ground, a scene he described as "truly amazing".