Although this rock-wallaby is still quite widespread across its range, habitat destruction, predation by foxes and feral cats, and competition for food and shelter have exacted a terrible toll. The support of Lotterywest is enabling WWF-Australia to work in partnership with nine indigenous organisations to protect rock wallaby populations.
Few have heard of it and even fewer have seen it, but the wiliji is very much on WWF's radar. Since we've been working with Nyikina Mangala Rangers to give the wiliji every chance of survival in the Grant, Edgar and Erskine ranges.
Nangeen Hill's population of black-flanked rock-wallabies plummeted in and a Class A nature reserve was declared in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. WWF supporters and the Western Australian Government partnered to fund a five kilometre predator-proof fence in that now keeps the resident rock-wallabies safe from foxes and feral cats. Kalbarri National Park once supported a healthy population of black-flanked rock-wallabies but they virtually disappeared due to predation by foxes and feral cats, habitat degradation and competition from feral goats.
WWF has helped to bring the wallabies back to the park. Textured pads on its hind feet, which act much like the sole of a running shoe, enable the black-flanked rock-wallaby to bound around its rocky home.
It moves swiftly and confidently, its dark fur perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings. Rock-wallabies shelter during the hottest part of the day in caves and among cliffs to avoid water loss, then emerge in the early evening to graze on grass and herbs. They live in colonies, and although they rarely make a sound, scientists believe that members communicate using a complex array of behaviours and chemical signals. While there's clearly no place like home, moving wallabies to areas of suitable habitat and keeping out predators has proven effective.
There are three subspecies of black-flanked rock-wallaby: 1. Petrogale Iateralis lateralis black-flanked rock-wallaby which is patchily distributed through most of Western Australia south of the Kimberley; 2.
Petrogale Iateralis hacketti Recherche rock-wallaby , found only on three islands in the Archipelago of the Recherche in Western Australia; 3. Petrogale Iateralis pearsoni Pearson island rock-wallaby , found on islands off South Australia. There are also two races of black-flanked rock-wallaby: 1. Petrogale Iateralis west Kimberley race, known from the Grant, Edgar and Erskine ranges in the west Kimberley also known as wiliji by Traditional Owners of this region.
The soles of its hind feet are coarse, acting much like the sole of a running shoe, providing friction and grip as the rock-wallaby bounces around the rocks at high speed. But the introduction of feral predators — foxes , cats and dogs — has been disastrous for many species, pushing some to the brink of extinction.
Agricultural development has led to land clearing and habitat loss , fragmentation or degradation — major threats for extant wallaby species. Some are considered an agricultural pest. We have wallabies on the vast majority of our reserves. We're revegetating cleared farmland to create more wallaby habitat and our monitoring shows they're using it. We look after these wallabies by destocking properties, controlling feral herbivores, and baiting and shooting feral predators like foxes.
Donate today to help us continue this and other vital conservation work. Most of our operating costs are funded by generous individuals. Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby: Goonderoo Qld. Monjon: Wunambal Gaambera WA.
Skip to Content. Bennett's Wallaby on Friendly Beaches Reserve. Home Species Wallabies. Macropod family What's smaller than a kangaroo and bigger than a quokka? A wallaby!
The division of macropods into kangaroos and wallabies is arbitrary: the species we call kangaroos are simply the larger animals while wallabies are generally smaller though some can measure 1. Where do wallabies live? A few species are thought to be territorial. They live alone and defend their home area. Breeding season for most wallabies is between January and February. After a gestation period of 28 days, a single joey is born.
Like most marsupials, young wallabies joeys are born very small, undeveloped and vulnerable. As soon as they are born, they crawl into their mothers pouch where they remain for at least 2 months and continue to develop over the next 7 months. Even after leaving their mothers pouch, joeys will return if they are posed with danger. If the female wallaby becomes pregnant again while the joey is still in her pouch, the embryos development will pause until the joey leaves the pouch, a phenomenon called embryonic diapause.
The life span of a wallaby is around 9 years in the wild. Four species in this family have already gone extinct. Many others are Endangered, which means that they face a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Others are considered Vulnerable, which means that they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Some actions are being taken to help particular species, including protecting their habitats and breeding them in captivity, so they may be later reintroduced into the wild.
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