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More About Wallabies ...
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A wallaby is any of about 30 species of macropod. Essentially, a wallaby is any macropod that isn't considered large enough to be a kangaroo and has not been given some other name. There is no fixed dividing line. In general, a wallaby is smaller and has a stockier build than a kangaroo. Very small forest-dwelling wallabies are known as pademelons.
Wallabies are widely distributed across Australia, particularly in more remote, heavily timbered, or rugged areas, less so on the great semi-arid plains that are better suited to the larger, leaner, and more fleet-footed kangaroos.
Like possums, wallabies are not a distinct biological group. Nevertheless they fall into several broad categories. Typical wallabies like the Agile Wallaby, the Black Wallaby and the Red-necked Wallaby are most closely related to the kangaroos and, size aside, look very similar. These are the ones most frequently seen, certainly in the southern states.
Rock wallabies, rather like the goats of the northern hemisphere, specialise in rugged terrain and have modified feet designed to grip rock with skin friction rather than dig into soil with large claws. There are at least 15 species and the relatonship between several of them is poorly understood. Several are endangered. Captive rock wallaby breeding programs like the one at Healesville Sanctuary have had some success and a small number have recently been released into the wild.
The Banded Hare Wallaby is thought to be the last remaining member of the once-numerous subfamily Sthenurinae, and although once common across southern Australia, is now restricted to two islands off the Western Australian coast which are free of introduced predators.
The three nailtail wallabies (one extinct) and the four typical hare-wallabies make up another group, and New Guinea, which was until fairly recent geological times a part of mainland Australia, has at least 5 species of New Guinea forest wallaby.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order:
Family:
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Wallabies
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INFO LINKS
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Dama Wallaby Sedgwick County Zoo
Dama Wallaby fact sheet Read More
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Wallaroo Oakland zoo
Information includes description, range, habitat, diet, lifecycle, adaptations etc. Read More
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Wallaby National Geographic
Wallaby fact sheet and pictures; video clip Read More
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Wallaby http://www.giveusahome.com/
Interesting Facts Read More
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Yellow footed rock wallaby whozoo.com
When the wallaby is disturbed it stands rigidly, and beats its feet once or twice on the ground to warn other wallabies and to show its unease. Narrative Read More
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Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby Earth Sanctuaries
The prettiest marsupial of all (if one can talk about animals being pretty) is the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby. Narrative Read More
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Tammar Wallaby Oakland zoo
Information includes description, range, habitat, diet, lifecycle, adaptations etc. Read More
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Rufous Hare Wallaby Frenchville State School
"The name Rufous Hare-Wallaby is given because of speed, jumping ability and habit of crouching in long grass in the manner of a non-marsupial". Narrative in simple language. Good for younger students Read More
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Bennetts Wallaby Tasmania - Dept. of Primary Industries, Water, and Environment
Brief description of Bennetts Wallaby Read More
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Rufous Hare Wallaby Animal Info. Org
"The decline of the rufous hare wallaby probably resulted from changed fire regimes. " The name means "dancing hare". Brief Narrative Read More
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Wallaby UpFromAustralia
Difference between wallabies and kangaroos Read More
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