Derby Wallaby
| Derby Wallaby | ||||||||||||
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Derby Wallaby ( Macropus eugenii ) |
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| Macropus eugenii | ||||||||||||
| ( Desmarest , 1817) |
The tammar wallaby , even Tammar- or Dama-Wallaby called ( Macropus eugenii ) is a Känguruart of the subgenus of wallabies ( Notamacropus ). It is the smallest species of kangaroo and lives in isolated areas in southern Australia .
features
The fur of the Derby Wallaby is gray-brown on the upper side, the underside is lighter, mostly yellowish-gray and the legs are reddish. As with most kangaroos, the hind legs are significantly longer and stronger than the front legs, the skull is elongated and the ears are large. The species shows a sexual dimorphism , males are significantly larger and heavier than females and have larger front paws with more pronounced claws. Adult animals are around 45 centimeters high, reach a head body length of 52 to 68 centimeters and a tail length of 33 to 45 centimeters. The weight varies between 4 and 9 kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Derby wallabies were common in much of southern Australia until the 1920s, before habitat destruction displaced them into small, isolated relic populations. Today they still live in southwestern Western Australia and on some islands off the coast of South Australia , such as Kangaroo Island . There has been a small population on the New Zealand island of Kawau since around 1870 .
Their habitat are forests and scrubland with dense undergrowth.
Way of life
Derby wallabies live in groups of up to 50 animals, which, in contrast to many other kangaroo species, are organized hierarchically. The males fight each other for leadership in the group and for mating privilege. Postures such as standing upright and flexing the forearms express strength and dominance. One group claims an area of around 100 hectares, but this can overlap with that of other groups in the peripheral area.
Like all kangaroos, Derby wallabies are pronounced herbivores, they feed almost exclusively on grasses.
After a gestation period of around 25 to 28 days, the female gives birth to a single young. This spends its first eight to nine months exclusively in the mother's pouch, later it returns to suckling. The animals are finally weaned at 10 to 11 months of age and sexual maturity occurs at one to two years of age.
threat
The reasons for the drastic decline in populations at the beginning of the 20th century are not exactly known. A combination of various factors is believed to be a combination of factors including the destruction of their habitats to create agricultural land, competition from introduced species such as rabbits and domestic sheep, and stalking by introduced predators such as domestic cats and red foxes . Today the populations have stabilized and the species is "not endangered" according to the IUCN . Kangaroo Island populations have increased significantly and are now considered a nuisance as they cause damage to agricultural land. Several thousand animals can be shot there every year.
Systematics
The derby wallaby is one of eight species from the subgenus of wallabies ( Notamacropus ) within the kangaroo genus Macropus . Today subspecies are no longer listed, previously three subspecies were distinguished: the nominate form Macropus eugenii eugenii , which lived in South Australia and whose stocks on the island of Kawau are the only occurrences today, as well as M. e. derbianus in southwestern Western Australia and M. e. decres on kangaroo island.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- More information on Animal Diversity Web
- Macropus eugenii onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved May 12, 2009.