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Facts and Knowledge:
The rock wallaby is one of the most distinctive animals in the Australian outback. It has many similarities to the kangaroo but lives exclusively on rocky terrain. Many species of the rock wallaby have thick, attractive fur that was sought by fur traders during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a result, the remaining species are now rare or almost extinct over most of their range.
Habitat: The rock wallaby lives in the rocky deserts and the high mountain ranges of the Australian outback. The wallaby shelters in deep, hidden crevices in the rocks. The rocks leading to the hiding places are often warn smooth by generations of wallabies using the same trail. The bush tailed rock wallaby lives in the mountainous region of eastern New South Wales. One species living on an island,. at the eastern and of the Great Australian Bight, is at home either in the islands rocky interior or on the seashore among boulders washed by the surf.
Breeding The rock wallaby breeds all year when there is adequate food. During intense drought, when food supplies are scarce and the female cannot produce milk for her young, she abandons and joey (nursing baby). If the female with a joey in her pouch becomes pregnant, the new embryo in her womb does not develop until her pouch is empty. The development of the embryo is also delayed in periods of drought. When the rain s return, the embryo immediately develops, the joey is born, and its makes the joey is born, and it makes it way into it mother's pouch. She then mates again, and another fertilized egg begins to develop.
Behavior: During hot weather the rock wallaby spends much of the day resting in the shade. In the cooler early morning and evening hours it may travel long distances from the rocks in search of grass, which forms the major part of its diet. On cool days the rock wallaby spends much of its time eating. When disturbed, the rock wallaby stands rigidly, then shows its unease by beating its feet once or twice on the ground to warn other wallabies. When it is very alarmed, the wallaby disappears among the rocks, leaping from on to another in a single bound. Unlike its close relative, the tree kangaroo, the rock wallaby cannot climb trees.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle,
related Species
Length: Head and body 20 top 30
inches.
Tail length: 15 to 28 in.
Weight: 6 to 20 lbs
Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 18 months
Mating season: Year round when conditions
are favorable.
Gestation: 1 month, then 8 months in the
pouch
No of young: 1
Lifestyle:
Habit: Sociable
Call: Communications
by thumping the ground with its feet.
Diet: Grasses, as well as leaves, bark,
and roots in dry weather.
Life span: 14 years in captivity.
Related Species: The ring-tailed rock wallaby,
Petrogale xanthopus, and the little rock wallaby, Perodorcas concinna
Distribution: Throughout the Australian
mainland on rocky terrain from coastal ranges in inland hills.
Conservation: Nearly extinct over much
of its range due to hunting for its pelt during the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries. Conservation measures include the establishment
of protected areas and a breeding center.
Features of the Rock Wallaby:
The rock wallaby belongs to the same marsupial
family as the kangaroo: Macropodidee.
The rock wallaby ha a fluffy tail that provides
balance when it leaps from rock to rock. To help it climb, its large
hind feet have sharp claws, flexible middle toes, and broad, thick pads
with knobby soles.
Development of the embryo in the mothers womb
and of the joey (nursing baby) in the pouch continue only if the female
has enough food.
Did you know:
The rock wallaby had no natural enemies in Australia
until European foxes were introduced in the nineteenth century. Faster
and more cunning that the native Dingoes (wild dogs), foxes killed many
wallabies.
The first settlers in Australia thought the rock
wallaby was a cat because it climbed so quickly and agilely.
The rock wallabies live in northern parts of
Western Australia have thin, short hair to avoid overheating in the hot
tropical climate.
Because the brush tailed rock wallaby has a dull
brown fur, it is not hunted for its pelt like other specifics with
more delicate coloration.
The rock wallaby is not found in either Tasmania
or New Guinea.
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