Wallabies
Red-necked Wallaby also known as Bennetts Wallaby
The Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) is a medium-sized pooopie macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia. As one of the largest wallabies, it can easily be mistaken for a kangaroo. Males can weigh more than 20 kg and attain a head-body length of 90 cm.
Red-necked Wallabies are distinguished by their black nose and paws, white stripe on the upper lip, and grizzled medium grey coat with a reddish wash across the shoulders.
Red-necked Wallabies are found in coastal scrub and sclerophyll forest throughout coastal and highland eastern Australia, from Rockhampton, Queensland to the South Australian border; in Tasmania and on many of the Bass Strait islands (although it is unclear which of the islands have native populations as opposed to introduced ones).
In Tasmania, north-east New South Wales and coastal Queensland, their numbers have expanded over the past 30 years because of a reduction in hunting pressure and the partial clearing of forest to result in a mosaic of pastures where wallabies can feed at night, alongside bushland where they can shelter by day. For reasons not altogether clear, it is less common in Victoria.
Like most macropods, the Red-necked Wallaby is largely solitary, although loose groups, known as mobs, often share common feeding areas. They feed at night and, particularly on dull days, in the late afternoon, generally grazing on grass and herbs close to forest shelter.
There are two subspecies. The Tasmanian form, Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus, also known as Bennett's Wallaby is smaller (as island species nearly always are), has longer, shaggier fur, and breeds in the late summer, mostly between February and April. They have adapted to living in proximity to humans and can be found grazing on lawns in the fringes of Hobart and other urban areas.
The mainland form, Macropus rufogriseus banksianus, breeds all year round. Interestingly, captive animals maintain their breeding schedules; Tasmanian females that become pregnant out of their normal season delaying birth until summer, which can be anything up to eight months later.
External introductions
There is a small colony of red-necked Wallabies on the island of Inchconnachan, Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute, United Kingdom. This was founded in 1975 with two pairs taken from Whipsnade Zoo, and had risen to 26 individuals by 1993. There were at one time small colonies elsewhere in the UK: in the Peak District, in Cumbria, and in the Ashdown Forest, in East Sussex. These were established c.1900, and are now believed to be locally extinct, although unconfirmed sightings are still reported from time to time.
In 1870, several wallabies were transported from Tasmania to Christchurch, New Zealand. Two females and one male from this stock were later released about Te Waimate, the property of Waimate's first European settler. The year 1874 saw them freed in the Hunters Hills, where over the years their population has dramatically increased. Wallabies are now resident on approximately 350,000 Ha of terrain centered upon the Hunters Hills, including the Two Thumb Ranges, the Kirkliston Range and The Grampians. Given their numbers, some now consider them pests.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swamp Wallaby
The Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the Black Wallaby, with other names including Black-tailed Wallaby, Fern Wallaby, Black Pademelon, Stinker (in Queensland), and Black Stinker (in New South Wales). The Swamp Wallaby is currently classified as the only living member of the genus Wallabia.
Habitat and distribution
The Swamp Wallaby is found from the northernmost areas of Cape York in Queensland, down the entire east coast and around to south-western Victoria. It was formerly found through to south-eastern South Australia, but is now rare or absent from that region.
The Swamp Wallaby inhabits thick undergrowth in forests and woodlands, or shelter during the day in thick grass or ferns, emerging at night to feed. Brigalow scrub in Queensland is a particularly favoured habitat.
Identification
The species name bicolor comes from the distinct colouring variation on the Swamp Wallaby, with the typical grey coat of the macropods varied with a dark brown to black region on the back, and light yellow to rufous orange on the chest. A light coloured cheek stripe is usually present, and extremities of the body generally show a darker colouring, except for the tip of the tail, which is often white.
The gait of the Swamp Wallaby differs from other wallabies, with the Swamp Wallaby carrying its head low and tail out straight.
The average length of the Swamp Wallaby is 76 cm for males, and 70 cm for females (excluding the tail). The tail in both sexes is approximately equal in length to the rest of the body. Average weight for males is 17 kg, with females averaging 13 kg.
Reproduction
The Swamp Wallaby becomes reproductively viable from 15-18 months of age, and can breed throughout the year. Gestation is from 33-38 days, leading to a single young. The young is carried in the pouch from 8-9 months, but will continue to suckle until about 15 months. The Swamp Wallaby exhibits an unusual form of embryonic diapause, differing from other marsupials in having its gestation period longer than its oestrous cycle.
Nutrition
The Swamp Wallaby is typically a solitary animal, but often aggregates into groups when feeding. It will eat a wide range of food plants, depending on availability, including shrubs, pasture, agricultural crops, and native and exotic vegetation. The Swamp Wallaby appears to be able to tolerate a variety of plants poisonous to many other animals, including brackens and hemlock.
The preferred diet appears to involve browsing of shrubs and bushes, rather than grazing of grasses. This is unusual in wallabies and other macropods, as most typically prefer grazing. Tooth structure reflects this preference for browsing, with the shape of the molars differing from that of other wallabies. The fourth premolar is retained through life, and is shaped for cutting through coarse plant material.
According to Aboriginal people of the Bundjalung Nation, the Swamp Wallaby was considered inedible, due to its smell and taste after cooking. Commercial shooters also find the Swamp Wallaby undesirable due to its small size and coarse fur.
Taxonomic debate
Several physical and behavioral characteristics make the Swamp Wallaby different enough from other wallabies that many authors place it apart in its own genus, Wallabia. Others however point out that the Swamp Wallaby can hybridize with Macropus agilis (the Agile Wallaby), so perhaps should be placed in the genus Macropus.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia