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Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
Latin Name: Petrogale xanthopus
CLASS: na
ORDER: na
FAMILY: na
GENUS: na
SPECIES: na
LIFESPAN: 12 to 18 years
COLOR/PATTERN: na
HABITAT: Located mainly on mountaintops, rocky ramparts and hillside caves.
RANGE: Flinders Ranges of South Australia, with populations in the Gawler Ranges and the ranges north of Olary, stretching to the Barrier Ranges of western New South Wales.
LENGTH: Head/Body – 20 to 30 inches, Tail 15 to 28 inches
WEIGHT: 6 to 20 pounds
REPRODUCTION:
Rock wallabies mate year round, restricted only by food and water availability. Gestation is 1 month, after which time the peanut-sized joey climbs through its mother’s fur and into her pouch, where it will stay for the next 8 months. Even if an egg has been fertilized, it will not develop in the mother’s womb until the present joey has left the pouch. Once the joey leaves the pouch, it gets left in a safe spot while its mother goes to feed and drink. Instead of suckling, the joey is able to obtain fluids by direct mouth-to-mouth transfer from its mother, a unique adaptation among mammals.
DIET: Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies are herbivorous animals and browsers rather than grazers, that is, they eat shrubs and herbs rather than grasses. May also eat invertebrates such as insects and beetle larvae.
ACTIVE: na
STATUS:
The population is estimated at between 300 and 400 animals and is listed as lower risk and near threatened. Colonies of 70 or more are extremely rare. The dingo, carpet python, feral cat, fox, goat and its main predator the wedged-tailed eagle prey upon this species.
The following historical quotes offers insight as well as irony as to why various cultures and societies have reached predicaments in regards to once abundant wildlife populations:
“The best sport we had was in firing at the rock wallaby from the seat of the buggy, and watching them fall down the cliffs. Fourteen we saw fall, some were wounded, but before reaching the bottom were pretty well dead. One in particular had a soft and lucky fall and came to die at our horses’ feet. We were indeed loathe to leave so pretty a spot. We gazed and feasted our eyes on natures handiwork.” Australian newspaper, Flinders Ranges, 1883
The naturalist Thomas Ward noted in the early 1880’s, ”...the Rock-wallaby is by far the most abundant of the animals, and yet it is a much persecuted creature. Rock-wallaby shooting is a favourite sport with all classes of colonists.”
SPECIES SURVIVAL:
Since 1992 an inventive program in Flinders Ranges National Park has been successful in aiding wallaby populations. Operation Bounceback is characterized by a shift away from focusing on a single species to a landscape scale approach, where every element of an ecosystem is considered. For example, the program has restored key components of ecosystems to their original condition, shown a dramatic reduction in grazing pressure through control of goats and rabbits, virtually eliminated foxes and feral cat populations, thus enabling the recovery of native plant and animal communities
FAST FACTS:
- Yellow-footed rock wallabies have the remarkable ability to drink up to about 11% of their body weight in approximately seven minutes.
- How high can they jump? They can jump vertically about 2½ times their own height, but achieve much greater heights by ‘cannoning’ off upright surfaces.
- The rock wallaby can jump from rock to rock. Once it lands it opens its short arms and holds them at a right angle to the body until it can balance itself, rather like a tight rope performer. The soles of their feet have a thick pad of skin and a very rough surface to prevent slipping.
- When the wallaby is disturbed it stands rigidly, and beats its feet once or twice on the ground to warn other wallabies and to show its unease.
Last Update:Monday, June 13, 2005 at 14:01:00
