Parma Wallaby

## Description

The parma wallaby (Notamacropus parma ) is the smallest member of the marsupial genus Notamacropus. It inhabits wet sclerophyll (hard-leaved) forests of northern New South Wales, Australia. Adult parma wallabies typically weigh 4–5 kg, with the body length of about 0.5 m (1.6 ft).

The parma wallaby was first described by British naturalist John Gould in the 1840s. Shy, nocturnal, and rarely encountered by people, it was believed to be extinct, but was rediscovered in the 1960s on several locations. The species remains rarely seen, with some evidence for a recent population decline.

## Appearance

A Parma wallaby is the smallest of the macropus family, which includes all wallabies and kangaroos. When resting, they are somewhat round in appearance. They have brown fur with lighter markings on chest, face, neck, and sometimes on the end of their long tail. Males are larger and stronger than females.

## Distribution

The Parma wallaby is a native of the Great Dividing Range, which is between the Watagan Mountains and the Gibraltar Range in Eastern Australia. It lives only in New South Wales, occupying wet, sclerophyll forests that have grassy openings and thick undergrowth. The Parma wallaby is found sometimes in dry, eucalypt forests but also in wet, tropical habitats.

## Behavior

Parma wallabies are solitary, cryptic creatures. They are nocturnal, although sometimes they are active at dawn or dusk, spending the day sheltering under cover. Soon after waking at dusk, they start feeding, usually gathering in groups of two or three individuals to forage. Their diet consists of grasses and herbs. Most social interactions occur at sunrise, when their activity peaks. These animals are bipeds and they move with a hopping type of gait, with their tail acting as a counterbalance. When resting they will often sit “tripod style,” being balanced on their hind legs and tail. They communicate visually, with tail wagging, quivering, and foot stomping to signal aggression. They will also communicate with their mates by clucking, or coughing, with hissing as another sign of aggression.

## Diet

A Parma wallaby is a herbivore and feeds mainly on herbaceous plant parts and reedy grasses.

## Reproduction

These wallabies are polygynandrous (promiscuous), two or more males mating with two or more female wallabies. They breed between the months of March and July, and produce one offspring each breeding season. Gestation is for about 35 days. The newborn remains in its mother’s pouch. After 30 weeks it is ready to leave the pouch, but continues to nurse until 10 months, when the joey becomes completely independent of its mother. Since the parma wallaby is a solitary creature, the only interactions between adult males and females are when they mate. Males take no part in caring for young. A female reaches sexual maturity at about 16 months, and males between 20-24 months.

## Population

### Population threats

The main threat to Parma wallabies is predation by a number of introduced natural predators, including feral cats, foxes, and dingoes. Another main threat is habitat destruction, as bushfires and grazing by livestock can also reduce the amount of suitable vegetation where wallabies can shelter.

### Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total number of the Parma wallabies’ population is between 1,000 and 10,000 individuals. Currently they are classified as near threatened (NT) on the List of threatened species.

### Ecological niche

The Parma wallaby is a grazer of small vegetation and so is a predator of small shrubs and other plants in its environment.

## Fun Facts for Kids

When the joey is able to leave its pouch it is known as a “joey-at-heel”.

These wallabies are also called white-throated wallabies, due to their coloration.

Wallabies are close relatives of kangaroos, but are smaller and stockier, and kangaroos' legs are much longer.

Wallabies are very good hoppers, covering huge areas of land while foraging for food, but they cannot hop backwards.

Wallabies use their tails to prop themselves into a sitting position.

Wallabies are not able to move their back legs independently - unless they’re in water.

Female wallabies can have three babies all at the same time: a joey living outside of the pouch while still drinking milk, a younger one in the pouch, and an embryo awaiting development and birth.

Joeys play fight to develop their social skills.