ANIMAL: Bennett’s/Red-Necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus Type of Animal: Macropod Habitat: Forests, open grassy areas w/ nearby cover, farmland, scrub, pasture mosaic, woodland, woodland/forest edge, grassland, savanna, heath, moorland, chaparral, scrubby pastureland, bushland, vegetated gullies, shrub covered areas, coastal regions, riversides, shady snow-covered mountain slopes, can be found as high as 6,562 ft above sea level, disturbed habitats, forest remnants, cleared land, urban areas Location(s): E Australia & Tasmania. Introduced in New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, France, & Germany. Appearance: Black nose/paws, white stripe on upper lip, tawny gray coat, somewhat reddish across shoulders, Tasmanian subspecies smaller w/ longer/darker/shaggier fur, males larger than females, whitish-grayish chest/belly Food/Diet: Grasses, roots, leaves, weeds, herbs, shoots, greens, vegetables, non-grass forbs, emerging flowers/flowering plants, seed heads, fruit, bracken, heather plants, berries, shrubs, clover, crops, saplings Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos & wildlife parks Lifestyle: Mobs of 10-30 individuals, led by dominant male Additional Info: Called: Male: Boomer Female: Flyer Young: Joey Group: Mob Weight: Male: 33-59 lbs Female: 24-34 lbs Young: 3.5 lbs Gestation: 1 month Life Span: 5 years in wild, 15 years in captivity Height: Male: 2.3-3 ft Female: 2.2-2.8 ft Body Length: Male: 2.3-3 ft Female: 2.2-2.8 ft Tail Length: Male: 2.3-2.9 ft Female: 2-2.6 ft Main predators are dingoes, foxes, eagles, Tasmanian devils, quolls, dogs, & cats. Smaller raptors may take joeys. Joeys stay in pouch for 7-9 months & become independent at a year. Bruny Island off SE coast of Tasmania known for albino wallabies. Like their close relatives kangaroos, males fight by boxing. Least active in middle of the day. They’re not very vocal, preferring to use actions/body language for communication. Males court females by sniffing pouch/rump-he’ll flick tail/paws while female hits him w/ her paws, once she’s receptive they’ll spar in similar way that males do. Sometimes killed as pests & because they compete w/ livestock. Long heavy tail helps maintain balance while hopping & for support when standing upright. Fun Fact(s): Can hop up to 6 ft in air. Females can produce 2 kinds of milk-1 for pouched joey & 1 for joey out of the pouch. Joeys born size of jellybean. They swim using technique similar to dog paddling. In October 2014, 3 captive animals escaped into wilds of N Austria, w/ 1 roaming there for 3 months surviving winter conditions before being recaptured. Humorously defeated popular slogan “There are no kangaroos in Austria.”
