Red-necked wallaby Notamacropus rufogriseus
Also called Bennett's wallaby, after Australian doctor and zoologist George Bennett.
Red-necked wallabies sleep in the bushes during the day to escape the heat. Hot wallabies cool their bodies by licking their front legs.
The red-necked wallaby in a nutshell
- eats
- grass and herbs
- inhabits
- Australia
- excels at
- long jumps
Siesta
Red-necked wallabies eat grass and herbs, and often only start grazing at the edge of the forest towards the end of the day, when it is no longer so hot. The activity of this species is linked to temperature.
No bigger than a broad bean
Young wallabies (joeys) come into the world a month after fertilisation, and are at first no larger than a broad bean. Because they are also still blind at birth, they use their sense of smell to find their way to the mother’s pouch and her nipples. They remain in the pouch for 280 days, and continue to suckle until the age of 12 to 17 months.
Champion long jumpers
Red-necked wallabies have extremely strong hind legs that enable them to leap more than two metres at a time. Like other kangaroo species, wallabies pound the ground with their hind legs when they feel threatened. This warns the predator that the wallaby is aware of them, and that pursuit will be difficult.
The red-necked wallaby has been adopted by Monuglas and Vlasman