Western Irmawallaby
| Western Irmawallaby | ||||||||||||
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Western Irmawallaby, drawing by John Gould |
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| Macropus irma | ||||||||||||
| ( Jourdan , 1837) |
The western Irmawallaby ( Macropus irma ) is a species of kangaroo from the subgenus of the wallabies ( Notamacropus ). It lives in southwestern Australia .
features
With a weight of 7 to 9 kilograms, the western Irma Wallabies are one of the smaller wallaby species. They have the typical physique of most kangaroos with the long, powerful hind legs, the muscular tail and the short front paws. Their fur is predominantly gray in color, the white stripes on the face and the black and white colored ears are striking. The hands and feet are colored black, at the tip of the tail there is a black tassel.
Distribution and way of life
Western Irma Wallabies are only found in southwestern Western Australia . Their habitat are open forests and heath areas, they avoid forests with dense undergrowth and pasture areas.
Little is known about the way these kangaroos live. They are predominantly crepuscular and often rest individually or in pairs during the day in the shade of the trees. More often than other kangaroo species, however, they also go in search of food during the day. Their diet consists mainly of grasses.
Danger
With the colonization of Australia by the Europeans and the conversion of their habitat into grazing areas, the distribution area of the western Irmawallabies has decreased significantly. In the 1970s, the uncontrolled spread of the red fox caused a collapse in populations. Today the situation of the species has improved through decisive fox control, the populations are increasing and in areas where the fox populations are drastically reduced, these kangaroos are now very common again. The IUCN lists the Western Irmawallaby as not endangered.
The species is no longer maintained in Europe, former owners are Frankfurt and London.
supporting documents
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Web links
- Data sheet with photo (PDF)
- Macropus irma onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved May 12, 2009.