Agile wallaby

Last updated

Agile wallaby [1]
Agile Wallaby pair - East Point Reserve.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Notamacropus
Species:
N. agilis
Binomial name
Notamacropus agilis
(Gould, 1842)
Agile Wallaby area.png
Agile wallaby range
Synonyms [2]
  • Halmaturus agilisGould, 1842
  • Macropus agilis(Gould, 1842)

The agile wallaby (Notamacropus agilis), also known as the sandy wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the most common wallaby in north Australia. The agile wallaby is a sandy colour, becoming paler below. It is sometimes solitary and at other times sociable and grazes on grasses and other plants. The agile wallaby is not considered threatened.

Contents

Subspecies

The four subspecies of the agile wallaby are:

Description

Male agile wallabies are considerably larger than females, having a head and body length of up to 85 cm (33 in) and weighing 16 to 27 kg (35 to 60 lb) while the females grow to 72 cm (28 in) in length and weigh 9 to 15 kg (20 to 33 lb). The tails of both sexes are long and flexible, giving a total length of double the head and body length. They have relatively large ears, which are edged with black, and the tip of the tail is also black. Their backs are sandy brown while their underparts are whitish. They have a dark stripe between the ears, a pale cheek stripe on each side of the face and another pale streak across the thighs. [4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

Child holding rescued Agile Wallaby joey. Cooktown. 2008 Child holding rescued Agile Wallaby joey. Cooktown. 2008.jpg
Child holding rescued Agile Wallaby joey. Cooktown. 2008

The agile wallaby is found in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of South Papua. It is the most common wallaby over much of the north of Australia. [6] In northern Australia and down the eastern coast of Queensland it is quite common, and there are isolated populations in southeastern Queensland around Coomera, Jacobs Well and Hope Island. It is also present, though not common, on Stradbroke Island and on Woogoompah Island in the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, and it may still be present on Peel Island. In Australia its typical habitats are dry open woodland, heaths, dunes and grassland. [7] It is often present in the vicinity of rivers and billabongs. When grass is in short supply, it sometimes browses on shrubs or moves onto agricultural land, including sugar cane plantations. [4]

Behaviour

In general, the agile wallaby is a solitary animal, but it sometimes forms into groups when feeding on open pastures, a behaviour that may help with predator awareness. The agile wallaby feeds mainly at night on grasses, legumes, and other herbaceous plants, but may also forage by day, especially in the wet season. In the dry season, the animal's range grows larger as the quality of the grazing deteriorates, and the diet expands to include flowers, fruit, twigs, fallen leaves, roots, and bark. [5] In the dry season in Boodjamulla National Park in Queensland, when food is in short supply, it has been observed pulling up seedling Livistona palms with its teeth, eating the roots and stems, and discarding the leaves. When they are available, it eats the fruits of these palms, but in the dry season it also crushes and eats the hard seeds. It also consumes other seeds that have passed through the guts of fruit-eating birds. [4] It sometimes digs holes in dry creeks and billabongs to search for water, and this is thought to help it avoid being killed by the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) that can be found beside rivers. [4]

Breeding takes place at any time of the year, with the female becoming receptive soon after giving birth. Male behaviour includes "play-fighting", leaping into the air, and sinuously lashing the tail. After a brief courtship, mating takes place after which an embryonic diapause occurs, in which the embryo remains in a state of dormancy before implanting. The gestation period is about 30 days, after which the young wallaby is born and makes its way to its mother's pouch. It remains there for 7–8 months and is weaned at about 11 months. [4] [5]

Status

The agile wallaby has a wide range and is common over much of that range. It faces no major threats; however, in New Guinea it is shot for bushmeat and in Australia it is sometimes killed by farmers as a pest. It is present in a number of protected areas in Australia, but this is not the case in New Guinea. Overall, the population is thought to be declining, but the total population is large and the rate of decline is slow, so the IUCN considers this species to be of least concern. [2]

In Western Province, Papua New Guinea, agile wallabies are hunted by local indigenous peoples using fire drives. [8]

In Aboriginal language and culture

In the Bininj Kunwok language the male agile wallaby is known as warradjangkal, [9] and the female as merlbbe. [10] [11] According to Kunwinjku elder Peterson Nganjmirra, the "small one" (joey) is known as njip. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallaby</span> Common name of small- or mid-sized macropods found in Australia and New Guinea

A wallaby is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but kangaroos are specifically categorised into the four largest species of the family. The term "wallaby" is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaroo that has not been designated otherwise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kakadu National Park</span> Protected area in the Northern Territory, Australia

Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km (106 mi) southeast of Darwin. It is a World Heritage Site. Kakadu is also gazetted as a locality, covering the same area as the national park, with 313 people recorded living there in the 2016 Australian census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macropodidae</span> Family of marsupial mammals

Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder Macropodiformes, containing other macropods, and are native to the Australian continent, New Guinea and nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parma wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The parma wallaby is a small marsupial macropod mammal native to forests and densely-vegetated areas of northeastern New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Queensland. There is also an introduced population found in and around Rodney District, just north of Auckland, New Zealand. About the size of a stout cat, it lives mainly under thick plant cover, and is only active at night when it emerges to feed on grasses and small plants. It is the smallest of the wallabies and carries its young in a pouch, as with other marsupials. Shy and elusive, it was believed extinct until its rediscovery in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-necked wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The red-necked wallaby or Bennett's wallaby is a medium-sized macropod marsupial (wallaby), common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Red-necked wallabies have been introduced to several other countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, France and Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammar wallaby</span> A small macropod native to South and Western Australia

The tammar wallaby, also known as the dama wallaby or darma wallaby, is a small macropod native to South and Western Australia. Though its geographical range has been severely reduced since European colonisation, the tammar wallaby remains common within its reduced range and is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has been introduced to New Zealand and reintroduced to some areas of Australia where it had been previously extirpated. Skull variations differentiate between tammar wallabies from Western Australia, Kangaroo Island, and mainland South Australia, making them distinct population groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern quoll</span> Species of marsupial native to Australia

The northern quoll, also known as the northern native cat, the North Australian native cat or the satanellus is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern brown bandicoot</span> Species of marsupial

The northern brown bandicoot, a marsupial species, is a bandicoot found only on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and nearby islands, mainly Papua New Guinea. It is not, however, found far inland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toolache wallaby</span> Extinct species of marsupial

The toolache wallaby or Grey's wallaby is an extinct species of wallaby from southeastern South Australia and southwestern Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawn antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fawn antechinus is a species of small carnivorous marsupial found in northern Australia. It is the only Antechinus to be found in the Northern Territory and has a patchy, restricted range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectacled hare-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The spectacled hare-wallaby is a species of macropod found in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, a small sub-population is found on Barrow Island, while the mainland type is widespread, though in decline, across northern regions of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiptail wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The whiptail wallaby, also known as the pretty-faced wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in eastern Australia. It is locally common from Cooktown in Queensland to near Grafton in New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western brush wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The western brush wallaby, also known as the black-gloved wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in the southwestern coastal region of Western Australia. The wallaby's main threat is predation by the introduced red fox. The IUCN lists the western brush wallaby as Least Concern, as it remains fairly widespread and the population is believed to be stable or increasing, as a result of red fox control programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antilopine kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The antilopine kangaroo, also known as the antilopine wallaroo or the antilopine wallaby, is a species of macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is a locally common, gregarious grazer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black wallaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The black wallaroo, also known as Woodward's wallaroo, is a species of macropod restricted to a small, mountainous area in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, between South Alligator River and Nabarlek. It classified as near threatened, mostly due to its limited distribution. A large proportion of the range is protected by Kakadu National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabarlek</span> Species of marsupial

Nabarleks, are a tiny species of macropod found in northern Australia. They are a shy and nocturnal animal that resides in rocky hollows and forages in the surrounding area. Their diet is grasses, sedges, and ferns found in and around their scrub covered refuges. They are distinguished by a reddish tinge to the mostly grey fur and a distinct stripe at the cheek. They move with great speed and agility when observed, with a forward leaning posture and a bushy tail that arches over the back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anbangbang Billabong</span>

Anbangbang Billabong lies in the shadow of Burrunggui within Kakadu National Park and is a good place to view a wide range of wildlife. Large numbers of waterfowl and wading birds inhabit the billabong and many wallabies can be found grazing around the water's edge. There is a walking trail around the circumference of Anbangbang Billabong with many picnic areas.

<i>Xeromys myoides</i> Species of rodent

Xeromys myoides, also known as the water mouse, marine mouse, mangrove mouse, false water rat, manngay and yirrkoo, is a species of rodent native to waterways of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 63. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 Aplin, K.; Dickman, C.; Salas, L.; Woinarski, J. & Winter, J. (2016). "Notamacropus agilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T40560A21954106. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T40560A21954106.en . Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  3. Merchant, J.C. (1984). "Agile Wallaby". In Strahan, Ronald (ed.). The Complete Book of Australian Mammals. Angus & Robertson. p. 242. ISBN   9780207144547. OCLC   477133119.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Richardson, Ken (2012). Australia's Amazing Kangaroos: Their Conservation, Unique Biology and Coexistence with Humans. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 60–61. ISBN   978-0-643-10715-1.
  5. 1 2 3 "Agile wallaby". The kangaroo trail. Rootourism. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  6. Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 110. ISBN   9780195508703.
  7. "Agile wallaby". Queensland Museum. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  8. Evans, Nicholas (2018). "The languages of Southern New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 641–774. ISBN   978-3-11-028642-7.
  9. Garde, Murray. "warradjangkal". Bininj Kunwok Online Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 30 Oct 2021.
  10. Garde, Murray. "merlbbe". Bininj Kunwok Online Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 30 Oct 2021.
  11. National Environmental Research Program (2019). "Various rock dwelling dasyurids". Bininj Kunwok. Australian Government.
  12. Goodfellow, D. (1993). Fauna of Kakadu and the Top End. Wakefield Press. p. 31. ISBN   1862543062.