Toolache wallaby

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Toolache wallaby [1]
Macropus greyi - Gould.jpg
nineteenth century illustration of male and female
Status iucn3.1 EX.svg
Extinct  (ca. 1939)  (IUCN 3.1) [2]
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. greyi
Binomial name
†Notamacropus greyi
(Waterhouse, 1846) [3]
Synonyms
  • Macropus greyi

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

Taxonomy

A species described by George Waterhouse in 1846. The type specimen was collected at Coorong in South Australia. [4] The author cites an earlier name, Halmaturus greyii, published by John Edward Gray in 1843 without a valid description, assigning it to a subgenus of the same name—Macropus (Halmaturus)—and providing the common name of the newly described species as Grey's wallaby. [5] [6] The common name and epithet greyi commemorates the collector and explorer George Grey, who provided the two specimens to researchers at the British Museum of Natural History. [3] A systematic revision has seen the species placed in a subgeneric arrangement as Macropus (Notamacropus) greyi, recognising an affinity with eight other species of the subgenus named as Notamacropus Dawson and Flannery, 1985. [7] An arrangement that elevates the subgenera of Macropus is recognised as Notamacropus greyi. [8] A genetic analysis found that its closest relative is the western brush wallaby. [9]

The common names have also included monkeyface and onetwo. [6] The name Toolache may come from the Ngarrindjeri word rtulatji. [10]

Description

Illustration of the upper body by Henry Richter in John Gould's Mammals of Australia (1863) Macropus greyi Gould.jpg
Illustration of the upper body by Henry Richter in John Gould's Mammals of Australia (1863)

The toolache wallaby was a slim, graceful, and elegant creature that had a pale ashy-brown pelt with a buff-yellow underbelly. [6] [11] The tail was pale grey and became almost white near the tip. The distinct black mark on its face reached from its nose to the eye. The forearms, feet, and tips of the ears were also black. The different colours of the animal also consisted of different textured furs which are believed to have changed seasonally or varied depending on the individual. The body measurements differed between males and females. In general, male toolache wallabies had a head and body length up to 810 mm while females measured up as 840 mm. Despite the females being taller, males had longer tail lengths at about 730 mm while the female's tail length was 710 mm. [12]

Behaviour

The toolache wallaby was a nocturnal animal, foraging for vegetation during the twilight hours of the day. [11] Their movements were unusual and extremely rapid, able to outpace almost any terrestrial predator; they were known to evade the fastest dogs of the colonial hunters. [6]

Habitat

The toolache wallaby occupied the southeastern corner of Australia to the western part of Victoria. The preferred habitat ranged from swampy short grassland areas, to taller grassed areas of the open country. Toolache wallabies were known to be sociable creatures who lived in groups; they were often seen resting and grazing in groups. [12]

Threats

A combination of numerous threats caused the decline and eventual extinction of the toolache wallaby. One of the largest factors was the destruction of its habitat. Since swamps were an important part of its habitat, once they were cleared out, much of the vegetation went with it. Besides the destruction of its habitat, the introduction of predators, such as the European red fox, began to kill off the species as well. Additionally, the animal was also hunted for sport and for its pelt. [12]

Extinction

The toolache wallaby only survived 85 years after European occupation. In the 1920s, a conservation effort was made to try to bring the animal back from the brink of extinction. The plan was to capture and breed the last known surviving members of the species in captivity. This effort ended in disaster after 10 of the 14 of them were accidentally killed in the attempt to capture them. The remaining four survived in captivity.

The last wild sightings were recorded in 1924, and the last known toolache wallaby survived in captivity until 1939. [2] The species is presumed to be extinct, although extensive research is still being conducted in the region after reports of suspected sightings through the 1970s. However, no members of the species have been sighted since.

Related Research Articles

<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">Wallaroo</span> Category of marsupial

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.

<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">Eastern hare-wallaby</span> Extinct species of marsupial

The eastern hare-wallaby, once also known as the common hare wallaby, is an extinct species of wallaby that was native to southeastern Australia. It was first described by John Gould in 1841.

<i>Macropus</i> Genus of marsupials

Macropus is a marsupial genus in the family Macropodidae. It has two extant species of large terrestrial kangaroos. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek μάκρος, makros "long" and πους, pous "foot". Thirteen known extinct species are recognised. The type species is the eastern grey kangaroo.

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

The rufous hare-wallaby, also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent, but naturally occurring populations are now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Island Islands off Western Australia.

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

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.

<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">Black-striped wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The black-striped wallaby, also known as the scrub wallaby or eastern brush wallaby, is a medium-sized wallaby found in Australia, from Townsville in Queensland to Narrabri in New South Wales. In New South Wales, it is only found west of the Great Dividing Range. It is decreasing in these areas, but is not classified as threatened as a species yet. The New South Wales population, however, is classified as endangered.

<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">Northern nail-tail wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The northern or sandy nail-tail wallaby is a species of macropod found across northern Australia on arid and sparsely wooded plains. The largest species of the genus Onychogalea, it is a solitary and nocturnal herbivorous browser that selects its food from a wide variety of grasses and succulent plant material. Distinguished by a slender and long-limbed form that resembles the typical and well known kangaroos, although their standing height is shorter, around half of one metre, and their weight is less than nine kilograms. As with some medium to large kangaroo species, such as Osphranter rufus, they have an unusual pentapedal motion at slow speeds by stiffening the tail for a fifth limb. When fleeing a disturbance, they hop rapidly with the tail curled back and repeatedly utter the sound "wuluhwuluh". Their exceptionally long tail has a broad fingernail-like protuberance beneath a dark crest of hair at its end, a peculiarity of the genus that is much broader than the other species. The name unguifera, meaning claw, is a reference to this extraordinary attribute, the purpose of which is unknown.

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

The allied rock-wallaby or Weasel rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It forms part of the P. lateralis/penicillata species complex and is very similar to six other species of rock-wallaby found in this area; these include the Cape York rock-wallaby (P. coenensis), the unadorned rock-wallaby (P. inornata), the Herbert's rock-wallaby (P. herberti), the Godman's rock-wallaby (P. godmani), the Mareeba rock-wallaby (P. mareeba) and the Mount Claro rock-wallaby (P. sharmani).

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

The brown dorcopsis, also known as the brown forest wallaby, is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to the lowlands of West New Guinea and the nearby Indonesian islands in West Papua of Misool, Salawati, and Yapen.

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

The Gebe cuscus is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the island of Gebe, North Maluku province, Indonesia, where it lives at elevations from sea level to 300 m.

<i>Osphranter</i> Genus of marsupials

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.

<i>Notamacropus</i> Genus of marsupials

Notamacropus is a genus of small marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as wallabies. The term is derived from the Latin nota "stripe" and macropus "kangaroo", referencing the distinct facial stripe of many extant genus members and their phylogenetic relationship to other kangaroos.

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. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 Burbidge, A.A. & Woinarski, J. (2018) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Notamacropus greyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T12625A128952836. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T12625A21953169.en . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 Waterhouse, G. R. (1846). A Natural History of the Mammalia. London: H. Baillière. p.  122.
  4. ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Diprotodontia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 43–70. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  5. ↑ Green, Tamara (2001). Extinctosaurus: Encyclopedia of Lost and Endangered Species. Brimax. p. 148. ISBN   9781858543352. OCLC   48178728.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Smith, M.J. (1983). "Toolache Wallaby". In Strahan, R. (ed.). Complete book of Australian mammals. The national photographic index of Australian wildlife . Angus & Robertson. p. 234. ISBN   0207144540.
  7. ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Diprotodontia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 43–70. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  8. ↑ Jackson, S.; Groves, C. (2015). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian mammals. Csiro. p. 158. ISBN   9781486300136.
  9. ↑ Celik, Mélina; Cascini, Manuela; Haouchar, Dalal; Van Der Burg, Chloe; Dodt, William; Evans, Alistair R; Prentis, Peter; Bunce, Michael; Fruciano, Carmelo; Phillips, Matthew J (2019-06-25). "A molecular and morphometric assessment of the systematics of the Macropus complex clarifies the tempo and mode of kangaroo evolution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (3): 793–812. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz005. ISSN   0024-4082.
  10. ↑ "Bringing the Language home: the Ngarrindjeri dictionary project" (PDF). Sydney eScholarship Repository. Sydney University Press. 2010. Retrieved 19 Aug 2023.
  11. 1 2 Menkhorst, P.W.; Knight, F. (2011). A field guide to the mammals of Australia (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 114. ISBN   9780195573954.
  12. 1 2 3 "Notamacropus greyi — Toolache Wallaby". Species Profile and Threats Database . Department of the Environment. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
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