Bennett's wallaby
Distribution
Australia
Diet
Herbivore
Habitat
Eucalyptus forests
Latin Name
Macropus rufogriseus
IUCN conservation status
Similar to a kangaroo, but smaller, these wallabies rely on their denser fur to withstand winter's harshness.
Interesting informations
A Digestive System Satisfying Most of Their Water Needs
These creatures spend most of the day resting under the cover of vegetation. They feed mainly in the early morning and at sunset. They eat a wide variety of herbaceous plants and tubers, from which they extract a good quantity of water.
The Pouch: An External Incubation System for Their Joeys
Only females have a ventral pouch. Called a marsupium, it receives the fetus, which is then about 30 days old, and protects its development until the age of 9 months. Although females have only one joey per litter, it's possible to observe more than one young in the pouch, at different stages of growth.
Tensions between Males Resolved through Boxing Fights
A group usually consists of a single dominant male, two or three females and their joeys. To test their dominance, the males will engage in impressively choreographed fights. If they persist, the fighting may lead to solid hind leg blows, well supported by their tail.
Their name Wallaby is believed to come from the Aboriginal words wolabi and ualabi, little kangaroo.
Considered abundant in the wild, populations are stable and sport hunting is controlled in Tasmania. However, their populations dropped between the 1960s and 1980s as a result of intensive hunting. Conservation measures, therefore, remain essential for their long-term survival.
