Red-necked Wallaby
Encyclopedia
The Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) is a medium-sized marsupial
macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia
, including Tasmania
.
Red-necked Wallabies are found in coastal scrub and sclerophyll
forest throughout coastal and highland eastern Australia, from Rockhampton, Queensland
to the South Australia
n 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); as well as in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. In Tasmania 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.
A female’s estrous lasts 32 days. During courting, the female first licks the male’s neck. The male will then rub his cheek against the female’s. Then the male and female will fight briefly, standing upright like two males. After that they finally mate. A couple will stay together for one day before separating. A female bears one offspring at a time; young stay in the pouch for about 280 days, after which females and their offspring stay together for only a month. However, females may stay in the home range of their mothers for life while males leave at two years old.
.
The Tasmanian form, Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus, usually known as Bennett's Wallaby is smaller (as island species
often 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.
There is a small colony of Red-necked Wallabies on the island of Inchconnachan
, Loch Lomond
in Argyll and Bute
, Scotland
. This was founded in 1975 with two pairs taken from Whipsnade Zoo, and had risen to 26 individuals by 1993. There is also a group of wallabies living wild on the Isle of Man
who are the descendants of a pair that escaped from a wildlife park on the island in the 1970s.
There were at one time small colonies in England: 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 France
, in the southern part of the Forest of Rambouillet
, 50 km (31 mi) west from Paris
, there is a wild group of around 30 Bennett's Wallabies. This population has been present since the seventies, when some individuals escaped from the zoological park of Émancé
after a storm.
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. They are declared an animal pest in the Canterbury Region and land occupiers must contain the wallabies within specified areas.
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, including Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
Description
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. They can weigh 13.80 to 18.60 kg and attain a head-body length of 90 cm, although males are generally bigger than females.Distribution and habitat
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest throughout coastal and highland eastern Australia, from Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
to the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n border; in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and on many of the Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
islands (although it is unclear which of the islands have native populations as opposed to introduced ones); as well as in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. In Tasmania and coastal Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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.
Behaviour
Red-necked wallabies are mainly solitary but will gather together when there’s an abundance of resources such as food, water or shelter. When they do gather in groups, they have a social hierarchy similar to other wallaby species. Red-necked wallabies are mainly crepuscular. They spend most of the daytime resting in vegetation.A female’s estrous lasts 32 days. During courting, the female first licks the male’s neck. The male will then rub his cheek against the female’s. Then the male and female will fight briefly, standing upright like two males. After that they finally mate. A couple will stay together for one day before separating. A female bears one offspring at a time; young stay in the pouch for about 280 days, after which females and their offspring stay together for only a month. However, females may stay in the home range of their mothers for life while males leave at two years old.
Subspecies
There are three subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
- M. r. banksianus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) – Red-necked Wallaby
- M. r. rufogriseus (Desmarest, 1817) - Bennett's Wallaby
- M. r. fruticus (Ogilby, 1838)
The Tasmanian form, Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus, usually known as Bennett's Wallaby is smaller (as island species
Insular dwarfism
Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals – typically mammals – when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is distinct from the intentional creation of dwarf...
often 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.
Introduction to other countries
Inchconnachan
Inchconnachan is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland.The 1920s wooden bungalow near to the narrows was the holiday home of Lady Arran Colquhoun.Capercaillie nest here.-Wallabies:...
, Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. This was founded in 1975 with two pairs taken from Whipsnade Zoo, and had risen to 26 individuals by 1993. There is also a group of wallabies living wild on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
who are the descendants of a pair that escaped from a wildlife park on the island in the 1970s.
There were at one time small colonies in England: in the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, and in the Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of tranquil open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England...
, in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. These were established c.1900, and are now believed to be locally extinct, although unconfirmed sightings are still reported from time to time.
In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in the southern part of the Forest of Rambouillet
Forest of Rambouillet
The Forest of Rambouillet or Forest of Yveline is a large forest covering some 200 km², located to the west of Paris, in the Île-de-France region in northern France...
, 50 km (31 mi) west from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, there is a wild group of around 30 Bennett's Wallabies. This population has been present since the seventies, when some individuals escaped from the zoological park of Émancé
Émancé
Émancé is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. Émancé has a verified population of wild kangaroos. The kangaroos are descended from a breeding population which escaped during a botched burglary attempt at an animal park in the 1970s.-References:*...
after a storm.
In 1870, several wallabies were transported from Tasmania to Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand. Two females and one male from this stock were later released about Te Waimate, the property of Waimate
Waimate
WaimateUrban AreaPopulation:2,835 Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Waimate District CouncilPopulation:7,206 Land area:3,582.19 km² Mayor:John ColesWebsite:...
'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
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
of terrain centered upon the Hunters Hills, including the Two Thumb Ranges, the Kirkliston Range and The Grampians. They are declared an animal pest in the Canterbury Region and land occupiers must contain the wallabies within specified areas.