# Wallaby — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Notamacropus spp. (and allied genera)*

> Wallabies are small-to-medium marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, closely related to kangaroos, with more than 30 species ranging from common and widespread to Near Threatened, Vulnerable or Endangered depending on the species.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species — most Least Concern (IUCN); some Near Threatened, Vulnerable or Endangered  ·  **WARN range:** Australia, New Guinea, Introduced populations in New Zealand and United Kingdom

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Type | Marsupial mammal |
| Size | 45–105 cm body length (species-dependent) |
| Weight | 4–26 kg |
| Diet | Herbivore — grasses, shrubs, herbs, leaves |
| Lifespan | 9–15 years in the wild |
| Gestation | 25–30 days; pouch development ~9 months |
| Top speed | ~48 km/h |
| Activity pattern | Crepuscular and nocturnal |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Diprotodontia
- **Family:** Macropodidae
- **Genera:** Notamacropus, Petrogale, Wallabia, Thylogale, Lagorchestes, Onychogalea (and others)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Varies by species — most Least Concern (IUCN)
- **Population:** Most common species number in the hundreds of thousands to millions; Parma wallaby estimated at 1,000–10,000 adults
- **Trend:** Stable or increasing for common species; declining for several rock-wallaby and hare-wallaby species
- **Assessed:** 2024
- **CITES:** Most species not listed; rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), banded hare-wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus), and bridled nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) listed on Appendix I
- Several species benefit from active recovery programs including predator control and translocation

## Key facts: Wallaby
- Wallabies are not a single genetic group but a collective term for more than 30 medium-to-small macropod species across multiple genera.
- Most common species such as the agile wallaby and red-necked wallaby are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, but several rock-wallabies and hare-wallabies are Near Threatened, Vulnerable or Endangered.
- After a gestation of only 25–30 days, joeys are born the size of a jellybean and spend around nine months developing inside the mother's pouch.
- Female wallabies can suspend a pregnancy mid-development — a process called embryonic diapause — until conditions are right to continue.
- Introduced predators, especially red foxes and feral cats, are the leading conservation threat for vulnerable wallaby species across Australia.
- At slow speeds wallabies use 'pentapedal locomotion', walking on all four limbs plus the tail — generating more forward force with the tail than with any other limb.

## What is a wallaby?
The word 'wallaby' does not describe a single species but rather a loose grouping of small-to-medium macropods that are typically smaller than kangaroos. Wallabies belong to the family Macropodidae — meaning 'big foot' in Greek — and are most closely related to kangaroos, wallaroos, and tree-kangaroos. They sit within several genera: Notamacropus covers the brush wallabies such as the agile wallaby and red-necked wallaby; Petrogale encompasses the rock-wallabies; Wallabia contains the distinctive swamp wallaby; and Lagorchestes, Onychogalea, and Thylogale cover hare-wallabies, nail-tail wallabies, and pademelons respectively. Like all marsupials, wallabies give birth to highly undeveloped young and complete development inside a pouch. Their defining physical traits include powerful elongated hind legs, a strong muscular tail that serves both as a counterbalance during hopping and as a fifth limb during slow locomotion, and compact forelimbs used for feeding and grooming. Adult body weights range from around 4–5 kg in smaller wallaby species such as the tammar wallaby up to 26 kg in a large male red-necked wallaby — a substantial variation that reflects the enormous diversity within the group.

## Where do wallabies live?
Wallabies are native to Australia and the island of New Guinea, with naturalised populations established in New Zealand's South Island, parts of the United Kingdom, and some Pacific island groups. Within Australia they occupy almost every terrestrial biome. Swamp wallabies favour damp forests and wetland margins; agile wallabies thrive in the tropical savanna woodlands of northern Queensland and the Northern Territory; rock-wallabies cling to cliff faces, boulder piles, and rocky gorges across arid and semi-arid zones; while red-necked wallabies inhabit open eucalyptus forest and scrubland from southern Queensland down through New South Wales and into Tasmania. In general, wallabies prefer areas with cover — dense shrubs, tall grasses, or rocky outcrops — that provide shelter from predators and shade from heat. They are less commonly found on the open treeless plains of central Australia, which are better suited to the larger, faster kangaroos. Wallabies are predominantly crepuscular, resting in shade or dense vegetation during the hottest part of the day and emerging to feed at dawn and dusk.

## How do wallabies reproduce?
Wallaby reproduction is one of the most remarkable systems in the mammal world, shaped by millions of years of evolution in an unpredictable, drought-prone environment. After a gestation of just 25 to 30 days — far shorter than almost any placental mammal of equivalent size — the mother gives birth to a joey that weighs less than one gram. This tiny, hairless, and blind newborn must immediately crawl unaided through its mother's fur and into the pouch, guided by scent and an instinctive pulling motion of its overdeveloped forelimbs. Once safely attached to a teat inside the pouch, the joey begins a development phase lasting approximately nine months. By five to six months it begins poking its head out to observe the world, and by seven months it takes short excursions outside before scrambling back to nurse. Full independence from the pouch comes at around eight to nine months, though young wallabies continue to suckle for a further several months. Perhaps the most astonishing adaptation is embryonic diapause: a female that mates shortly after giving birth can suspend the resulting embryo at an early stage of development, holding it dormant until the pouch joey is ready to leave. This means she can produce a succession of offspring with minimal delay, a critical advantage in boom-and-bust Australian conditions.

## What threats do wallabies face?
While most common wallaby species remain abundant, a significant number — particularly rock-wallabies, hare-wallabies, and nail-tail wallabies — have experienced severe population declines since European settlement of Australia in the late 18th century. The primary driver is introduced predators. Red foxes, brought to Australia for sport hunting from 1855, and feral cats prey heavily on adults and joeys. Because wallabies evolved without these predators, many species lack effective avoidance behaviours. Predation pressure is compounded by competition from introduced grazers — sheep, cattle, and goats — which reduce the grasses and shrubs wallabies depend on and can force them into open areas where predation risk is higher. Land clearance for agriculture has also fragmented and reduced habitat, isolating populations and preventing genetic exchange. Climate change is an emerging multiplier: hotter, drier conditions drive more frequent and intense bushfires that can strip both shelter and food sources simultaneously. Vehicle strikes on roads bisecting wallaby habitat add further mortality. Some species, such as the Parma wallaby, were once believed extinct and were rediscovered in 1965 on Kawau Island, New Zealand, and confirmed on the Australian mainland in 1967; their populations are still estimated at 1,000–10,000 adults, making them genuinely vulnerable to any additional pressure. Three species — the rufous hare-wallaby, banded hare-wallaby, and bridled nail-tail wallaby — are listed on CITES Appendix I, reflecting the seriousness of trade threats for the rarest species.

## What is being done to protect wallabies?
Conservation efforts for threatened wallaby species focus on three main strategies: predator control, habitat protection, and managed breeding. Predator control programs using baiting and trapping of foxes and feral cats have produced documented population recoveries for several rock-wallaby colonies. Fenced predator-free sanctuaries provide safe refuges where small founder populations can rebuild without fox or cat pressure. Translocation programs move wallabies from stable populations to restock areas where local extinction has occurred; the return of black-flanked rock-wallabies to Kalbarri National Park in Western Australia is one well-documented success. National recovery plans under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act set species-specific actions for the most threatened species. Genetic management in managed collections helps maintain diversity that could be drawn upon for future reintroductions. Citizen science programs improve population monitoring by enabling trained volunteers to conduct standardised counts, addressing the longstanding challenge of inadequate survey coverage. Research into wallaby ecology continues to refine understanding of habitat requirements and minimum viable population sizes. At an international level, CITES Appendix I listings for the rufous hare-wallaby, banded hare-wallaby, and bridled nail-tail wallaby prohibit commercial trade. The single most important lever for long-term wallaby conservation remains controlling introduced predators at landscape scale — an ongoing challenge across Australia's vast and remote terrain.

## What WARN does
WARN does not currently run projects for wallabies, as our rescue and conservation partnerships are focused in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, and Colombia. This guide is offered as free educational content because public awareness of threats facing marsupials — from habitat loss to invasive predators — helps build the global support that conservation anywhere depends on.

Wallabies remind us how interconnected conservation challenges are — from invasive predators in Australia to habitat destruction worldwide. Supporting WARN's work in our partner countries helps protect the ecological systems and rescue networks that animals everywhere depend on.

## Frequently asked questions: Wallaby
### Are wallabies the same as kangaroos?
No. Wallabies and kangaroos are closely related macropods in the family Macropodidae, but wallabies are generally smaller. The distinction is informal rather than strictly taxonomic — 'wallaby' is used for the smaller species, 'kangaroo' for the four largest species. Both groups share the same body plan: powerful hind legs, a balancing tail, and a pouch for raising young.

### What do wallabies eat?
Wallabies are herbivores. Most species graze on grasses and browse on shrubs, herbs, ferns, and leaves. Agile wallabies shift between grasses and legumes in the wet season and expand to fruit, flowers, and roots during drought. Swamp wallabies specialise in browsing shrubs that other wallabies tend to avoid. All wallabies share a large, multi-chambered forestomach where microbes ferment tough plant cellulose before it enters the digestive tract.

### How fast can a wallaby hop?
A large wallaby can reach a top speed of around 48 km/h (30 mph). Most species cruise comfortably at 25 km/h during normal movement. At very slow speeds, wallabies cannot hop and instead use 'pentapedal locomotion' — moving on both forelimbs, both hind legs, and the tail simultaneously, with the tail generating more forward force than any of the other four limbs combined.

### How long do wallabies live?
Lifespan varies considerably by species and conditions. In the wild, most medium-sized wallabies live between 9 and 15 years. Smaller species may survive only 5 to 7 years. In managed care, where predation and competition are absent, individuals have been recorded living into their mid-twenties.

### Are wallabies endangered?
It depends on the species. The majority of common wallabies — including the agile wallaby and red-necked wallaby — are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN with stable or recovering populations. However, a number of rock-wallaby and hare-wallaby species are Near Threatened, Vulnerable or Endangered. The Parma wallaby is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (and as Vulnerable under Australian national legislation), reflecting ongoing habitat loss and predation pressure.

### What is a group of wallabies called?
A group of wallabies is called a mob, court, or troupe. Smaller species tend to be more solitary, while larger species such as the red-necked wallaby may gather in mobs of up to 50 individuals at productive feeding sites. Mobs do not have a strict social hierarchy; membership is fluid and individuals come and go depending on resource availability.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40567/10331062)
- [IUCN Red List — Notamacropus parma (Parma Wallaby)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12627/221038595)
- [CITES — Macropodidae species listings](https://cites.org/eng/taxonomy/term/863)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Notamacropus agilis (Agile Wallaby)](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Macropus_agilis/)
- [ScienceDaily / ANU — Urgent action needed to protect the Parma wallaby (December 2024)](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241227120913.htm)
- [National Geographic — Wallabies](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/wallabies)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/wallaby