Wallabies
| Wallabies | ||||||||||||
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Pretty-faced wallaby ( Macropus parryi ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Notamacropus | ||||||||||||
| Dawson & Flannery , 1986 |
As wallabies several small species from the family of kangaroos called (Macropodidae). In the narrower sense described here, only eight species of the genus Macropus are included, which are summarized in the subgenus Notamacropus . In a broader sense (as in English), all smaller genera of kangaroos such as rabbit kangaroos , nail kangaroos , bush kangaroos , filanders and rock kangaroos are included.
description
Wallabies reach an average head body length of 70 to 80 centimeters, a tail length of 60 to 70 centimeters and a weight of around 12 to 20 kilograms, whereby the males are significantly heavier than the females. However, two species, the Derby and the Parma Wallaby , become significantly less large and heavy. The fur is usually brown or gray in color, with some species there are stripes on the back or face or other patterns. As with most kangaroos, the hind legs are significantly longer and stronger than the front legs. The long, muscular tail serves to maintain balance during the long jumps, and is used as a support when grazing.
distribution and habitat
Wallabies inhabit the northern, eastern and southern coastal regions of Australia . One species, the agile wallaby , is also found in New Guinea . Due to their small body size, they inhabit more bushy and forested areas than the large species.
There is now a wallaby population in the wild in Europe in the Forêt de Rambouillet , a forest that surrounds the town of Rambouillet . The animals escaped from an animal park near Emancé and have spread since the 1970s. The population includes between 100 and 150 animals. It is currently being scientifically investigated by the Center d'études de Rambouillet et de sa forêt .
Likewise, there has been a population of around 150 red-necked wallabies in the north of the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea since the 1970s . These come from eight runaways from the Curraghs Wildlife Park who escaped in 1989, including Wanda, a female who returned later.
Way of life
The way of life of the wallabies is variable. In general, however, they tend to be crepuscular or nocturnal and rest during the day. In addition to solitary species, there are also those that live together in groups. Like all kangaroos, they are herbivores that feed on buds, ferns, bark, grasses, herbs and leaves. When it rains little, they chew juicy roots to quench their thirst.
Reproduction
The reproduction corresponds to that of the other kangaroos. The gestation period is 33 to 38 days. The blind, deaf and naked boy weighs less than 1 gram at birth and has unfinished hind legs. Without the help of its mother, it crawls from the birth opening into the pouch within a few minutes and finds one of the four teats there using its sense of smell and touch. It sticks to it for more than half a year. The delayed birth of the kangaroos can also be observed in the wallabies.
Wallabies and people
The main threats to wallabies include the destruction of their habitat through conversion into agricultural areas, the pursuit of introduced predators such as the red fox and the hunting by humans. In the past they were hunted for their meat and wallaby fur , today this practice is severely limited and for some species is completely prohibited.
One species, the Eastern Irmawallaby , has become extinct, two others, the Parma and Derby wallaby, have only a very limited range, the other five species are still relatively common.
The Australian national rugby union team is also known as "The Wallabies" and has the animal in its coat of arms.
During the sheep shearers' strike in 1891, the song Freedom on the Wallaby, known in Australia, was written.
Wallabies have been observed in Australia stepping crop circles into opium fields . In connection with the consumption of the opium poppy , they get into a state of intoxication and begin to run in circles in the fields until they are completely exhausted.
The species
There are eight types:
- The agile wallaby ( Macropus agilis ) is the largest wallaby and lives in groups.
- The back stripe wallaby ( M. dorsalis ) is marked by a black stripe on the back.
- The tammar wallaby ( M. eugenii ) is the smallest Wallabyart. She inhabits southwest and southern Australia.
- The Eastern Irmawallaby ( M. greyi ), which used to live in southeastern Australia, has become extinct.
- The western Irmawallaby ( M. irma ) inhabits the southwest of Australia.
- The Parmawallaby ( M. parma ) was already considered extinct before remnants were discovered in Eastern Australia.
- The pretty- faced wallaby ( M. parryi ) can be recognized by the white stripes on the face.
- The red-necked or Bennett wallaby ( M. rufogriseus ) has a noticeable red shoulder area.
The swamp wallaby ( Wallabia bicolor ), on the other hand, is not part of the wallabies in the actual sense, but is listed in its own genus, wallabia .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Chazan: Up to 150 wallabies living wild near Paris in Rambouillet forest - Telegraph. The animals are the descendants of several wallabies who escaped from a zoo many decades ago. July 26, 2015, accessed August 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Des kangourous sauvages vivent dans les Yvelines depuis 40 ans. Près de la forêt de Rambouillet, a centaine de wallabies se promène à la grande surprise des habitants. A situation "unique in France". July 25, 2015, accessed August 14, 2015 .
- ^ Nazia Parveen North of England correspondent: Wallabies flourishing in the wild on Isle of Man . In: The Guardian . August 14, 2016, ISSN 0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed June 9, 2017]).
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8118257.stm