Rock wallabies (Petrogale sp.) are an interesting
group of
Australian animals - they are a special kind of wallabies
that live on rocky outcrops.
They are small animals, not taller than a
half a metre and they have very strong back legs that make it easier to
hop
on the rocks.
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Rock wallabies shelter in caves and rock
crevices.
They eat mostly
grass, but don’t mind leaves and fruit sometimes. They have a special
gland in the stomach that enables them to have such highly fibrous
food, low in nutrients. Introduced
animals
like feral goats compete with rock wallabies for food and shelter. Rock
wallabies live in colonies, the size of which depends on the
availability
of food and shelter.
The colonies are dominated by an old male
and include
several females
and juveniles. Females can breed all year around, but they usually
avoid unfavourable conditions such as drought or floods. As with other marsupials,
the new-born young is undeveloped and needs to spend some time in its
mother’s pouch (time varies between species). Once big enough, the
young is left to cave while mother is foraging. Rock wallabies live up
to eight years.
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As other macropods, they stand up and look
around for
predators every now and
again while feeding. They are much safer on the rocks than they’d be on
open ground. On the rocks, they are camouflaged, and not many predators
are as skilful and quick hoppers on such uneven ground. Because they
are not safe enough to cross open land, rock wallaby populations easily
become isolated. In isolation, each population develops to adapt to the
local conditions, and can finally develop into different species.
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Petrogale penicillata is found along
the Great Dividing Range from southern Queensland
to north-eastern Victoria.
It is up to 700mm long, weighs up to 10kg, and has a shaggy brown to
reddish fur. It lives in eucalypt forests where it eats grass, leaves,
seeds, flowers and fruits. It is mostly
nocturnal.
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Proserpine Rock Wallaby Petrogale Persephone lives in coastal
Queensland around Airlie Beach, Proserpine and even some of the Whitsunday
islands.
It is about 600mm long, weighs up to almost 7kg, and has dark greyish
brown fur. The ears are orange inside and black outside. It lives in
coastal forest and open grassy woodland, and it eats grass and leaves.
The species is endangered.
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby Petrogale xanthopus is the largest of the rock
wallabies. It can
be up to 700mm long and
weigh up to 12kg. It has got a grey fur, striped tail and orange-yellow
ears, arms and legs. It lives in open woodland where it eats grass and
leaves. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is found in semi-arid habitats
mostly in South
Australia, but also in places of eastern
Victoria and inland
Queensland. The best place to see it is Flinders
Ranges in South Australia.
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Black-footed Rock Wallaby Petrogale lateralis is mostly found
in Macdonnell
Ranges in the Northern
Territory, but also in places in South
Australia and Western
Australia.
It is a small wallaby, up to 600mm long and can weigh up to 4.5kg. It
has a grey-brown fur and black tail, ears and bottom of its feet. It is
mostly nocturnal and eats mainly grasses, but some leaves and fruits as
well.
Mareeba Rock Wallaby Petrogale Mareeba is an about 500mm long
animal that weighs up to 4.5kg and is found in Granite
Gorge near Mareeba
in Atherton
Tablelands in north
Queensland.
It lives in open forest where it eats grass and leaves, and is usually
grey-brown but can be dark or black depending on the habitat. Mareeba
Rock Wallaby only obtained a species status in 1992.
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Nabarlek
Nabarlek (Petrogale Concinna) is a small rock
wallaby, up to
350mm long and it weights 1.7kg. It is found along the northern coast
of Northern Territory and the Kimberley
in Western Australia. It has a dull
reddish grey fur and its tail has a dark brushy tip. It lives in
woodlands where it eats grass and ferns.
Australian Rock Wallabies - Monjon
Monjon (Petrogale burbidgei),
also called Warabi, is the smallest of the rock wallabies – it is about
300mm long and weighs up to 1.4kg. It lives along the northern coast of
Kimberley in Western Australia.
It has a reddish brown fur, short ears and olive-grey tail with brushy
tip. Monjon is mostly nocturnal and lives in open woodland where it
eats grass, leaves and fruit.
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Where to See Australian Rock Wallabies
Good places to see rock wallabies are Mutawintji National Park in New
South Wales, Idalia National Park in
Queensland, the Grampians
in Victoria, Gammon Ranges in South
Australia, Kalbarri National Park in Western Australia, and Macdonnell
Ranges in Northern Territory.
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