Red-Necked Wallaby

## Description

The red-necked wallaby or Bennett's wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus ) is a medium-sized macropod marsupial (wallaby), common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Red-necked wallabies have been introduced to several other countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom (in England and Scotland), Ireland, the Isle of Man, France and Germany.

## Appearance

The Red-necked wallaby is a medium-sized macropod marsupial, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Its name is due to the reddish fur on its shoulders and nape. The rest of its body is tawny gray, except for its white chest and belly. Its tail is gray on top and white below. Its paws are gray, with black at the ends. Its muzzle is dark brown. The ears of these wallabies are longer than those of others of the kangaroo family.

## Distribution

Red-necked wallabies live in eastern Australia from New South Wales to the Queensland border area, through to South Australia, and in Tasmania. There is also a large introduced population in New Zealand, and small colonies in Scotland, England, Ireland, and France. Red-necked wallabies inhabit coastal scrub and sclerophyll forest with a shrub understorey and nearby open grassy areas.

## Behavior

Red-necked wallabies are mainly solitary but will gather together when there is an abundance of resources such as food, water or shelter. When they do gather in groups, they have a social hierarchy similar to other wallaby species. The males are aggressive towards each other and fight by “boxing” well after becoming fully mature. Grooming and play take place amongst individuals of a similar ranking. Red-necked wallabies are mainly nocturnal animals and spend most of the daytime resting. They cool off by licking their paws and forearms when they are nervously excited or in hot weather. They are not very vocal, tending to use actions and body language to communicate. They growl, chatter, and hiss if provoked.

## Diet

Red-necked wallabies are herbivores and their die consists of grasses, roots, tree leaves, and weeds.

## Reproduction

Red-necked wallabies are polygynandrous (promiscuous) when two or more males mate with two or more females. The breeding season takes place from December until May, but in areas with better resources can occur year-round. Gestation lasts for 30 days and one young is born to each mating female. A newborn must crawl to its mother’s pouch, where it will nurse continually for about 7 months. The young are not very developed when born and they complete a large part of their growth in the pouch. At about 7 months old they are large enough to stay out of the pouch for a short time. They are completely weaned at the age of 10-12 months. Females may stay in their birth range for life but males leave when they are 2 years old. Females become reproductively mature at about 14 months of age and males at 19 months.

## Population

### Population threats

There seem to be no big threats to this species. In Tasmania and New Zealand, however, these animals are sometimes killed under license due to being a pest of crops or pasture, and they are commercially harvested for meat.

### Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Red-necked wallaby total population size, but it appears to be stable. Currently, this species is classified as least concern (LC).

## Fun Facts for Kids

Red-necked wallabies drink water if they need to. Juicy roots supply them with water during dry spells.

Red-necked wallabies have acute hearing and poor eyesight.

They are generally secretive animals, being sensitive to disturbance.

Wallabies' teeth grow like an elephant's, with new molars pushing old ones out of the mouth eventually, and replacing them. During their lifetime they grow four sets of teeth.

When alarmed, like rabbits, wallabies stamp their feet for several bounds, as a warning to others of potential danger.

Wallabies swivel their ears to pick up very quiet sounds.

Wallabies have stomachs with chambers. When they eat, they regurgitate food which is chewed and swallowed again.

Red-necked wallabies are sometimes called Wallabia rufogrisea. The Tasmanian group is also called Bennett's wallaby.