Black wallaroo | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Macropodidae |
Genus: | Osphranter |
Species: | O. bernardus |
Binomial name | |
Osphranter bernardus (Rothschild, 1904) [2] | |
Black wallaroo range | |
Synonyms | |
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The black wallaroo [1] (Osphranter bernardus), also known as Woodward's wallaroo, [3] 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. [4] A large proportion of the range is protected by Kakadu National Park. [1]
The description of the species was published by Walter Rothschild in 1904. The author initially assigned the species to a new genus as Dendrodorcopsis woodwardi, but revision of new material forwarded to England by the collector John Tunney persuaded the mammalogist Oldfield Thomas that the characteristics of the taxon were assignable to Macropus . [5] The specific epithet woodwardi was preoccupied by another subspecies of the genus ( Macropus robustus woodwardi ), prompting Rothschild to assign the new epithet bernardus. [2]
In 2019, a reassessment of macropod taxonomy determined that the species should be moved from the genus Macropus to the genus Osphranter . [6] This change was accepted by the Australian Faunal Directory in 2020. [7]
Other common names of O. bernardus also include black kangaroo, northern black wallaroo, Bernard's kangaroo, and Bernard's wallaroo. [8]
The black wallaroo is a smaller member of the kangaroos and wallabies, and the smallest of the wallaroos. The males' fur colour is predominately very dark brown to black, whereas females are lighter and greyish-brown. [8] The species is identifiable by a body form that is rotund and muscular and ears that are oval in shape and relatively short. The measurements of the head and body combined is up to 730 millimetres, exceeding the tail length of 640 mm or less. The approximate standing height, from the ground to the crown of the head, is 800 mm. The weight range for males is from 19 to 22 kilograms, females are usually around 13 kg. [9]
Osphranter bernardus is by far the smallest of the wallaroos, as well as the most easily distinguished. The species exhibits strong sexual dimorphism, the male is uniformly black or dark brown and has yellowish coloration at the forearm, the female is a mid-grey colour and has dark brown to black at the ends of the limbs and tail. The dentition is a diagnostic of O. bernardus, exhibiting a uniquely grooved notch at the second incisor. [9]
The species is extremely shy and will attempt to flee an observer by seeking its refuge at a nearby hill or sandstone escarpment, and if pursued demonstrates great agility in leaping to ledges or descending to the ground. They also seek respite from the sun beneath escarpments or in the shade of large trees, only venturing away from these to forage for grasses and herbs or access water at a nearby location. [8] Little research has been undertaken on the behaviour of O. bernardus, but it is known to be a shy nocturnal grazer which does not gather in groups. They find refuge from predators and extremes of weather at the rocky escarpments or caves of its habitat and will rapidly seek these whenever they are disturbed. The species remains undercover until emerging at night to forage in the local area. [9]
Osphranter bernardus is not a gregarious species; they are usually seen alone, or as a male and female pair with perhaps one larger young. Individuals may be seen in the company of others of the genus, the tall and slender antilopine kangaroo (Osphranter antilopinus) and the common wallaroo (Osphranter robustus), especially when gathering to drink at waterholes. [8]
The distribution range is restricted to area of eastern Arnhemland, from the South Aliigator River to Narbalek, and occur within this range at Mt Brockman and Nourlangie Rock. The favoured habitat has a monsoonal climate, and is most commonly found in these types of woodlands, rainforest over sandstone and on sandy plains dominated by a variety of grasses. [9] The soil of the habitat is very shallow and interspersed with bare rock surfaces, typically sandstone. [8]
In the Kunwinjku language of West Arnhem Land, the male black wallaroo is known as barrk (or nadjinem in the Kuninjku dialect), [10] while the female is called djukerre. [11] It is common in the Kunwinjku language for male and female macropods to have different names. Black wallaroos are said to be the 'pets' of Nakidjkidj spirits. [10] [12] Kunwinjku sometimes keep them as pets. According to Reverend Peterson Nganjmirra they are 'quiet'. [13]
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.
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.
Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug walaru, and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wallaby", as is commonly assumed.
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.
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.
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.
The rock-haunting ringtail possum, also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Australia and Northern Territory and just passing the Queensland border. It is also found on Groote Eylandt. It is the only species in the genus Petropseudes, but is part of the group including the common ringtail possum.
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.
The agile wallaby, 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.
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.
The common wallaroo, also known as the euro, hill wallaroo, or simply wallaroo, is a species of macropod. The word euro is particularly applied to one subspecies.
The short-eared rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northern Australia, in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is much larger than its three closest relatives, the eastern short-eared rock-wallaby, the nabarlek and the monjon.
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.
The Jim Jim Falls is a plunge waterfall on the Jim Jim Creek that descends over the Arnhem Land escarpment within the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Jim Jim Falls area is registered on the Australian National Heritage List.
The dusky rat is an indigenous species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Australia.
Osphranter is a genus of large marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as kangaroos and wallaroos. It contains the largest extant marsupial, the red kangaroo.
The Goomadeer River is a river in the Northern Territory, Australia.
The Bininj are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Arnhem land in the Northern Territory. The sub-groups of Bininj are sometimes referred to by the various language dialects spoken in the region, that is, the group of dialects known as Bininj Kunwok; so the people may be named the Kunwinjku, Kuninjku, Kundjeyhmi (Gundjeihmi), Manyallaluk Mayali, Kundedjnjenghmi and Kune groups.
The savanna glider is a species of arboreal gliding possum in the genus Petaurus.