DESCRIPTION

Male: Head and body length 529-586mm with the average being around 557mm. Tail length between 510 and 700mm. Weight 5.5 to 11kg. Brown above tending to more rufous on rump. Grey shoulders. Chest and belly paler in colour, some have white blaze on chest. White to buff cheek stripe; black dorsal stripe from forehead to back of head. Exterior of ears are black and inside ears are buff. Feet and paws are dark brown to black. Tail darkens to the tip, ending with a prominent brush. Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallabies from the north of the range tend to be lighter and have a less prominent tail brush.

Female: Similar in appearance although smaller. Head and body length 510-570mm with the average being around 536mm. Tail length between 500 and 630mm. Weight around 4.9 to 8.2kg.

The Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby was the first wallaby to be named by scientists and was originally referred to as the Tuft-Tailed Kangaroo or Mountain Kangaroo, with a scientific name of Kangurus penicillatus. In 1837 it was reclassified as Petrogale penicillata. It was once an abundant species that was quite widespread, living in rainforests, wet and dry sclerophyll forests, open woodland and in rocky outcrops in semi-arid land. It prefers rocky areas with a northerly aspect so they can sun themselves in the morning and late afternoon. Since European settlement the wallaby has declined in Victoria and well as in southern and western New South Wales due to excessive hunting for skins and as pest eradication. Today the wallaby can be found commonly in south-eastern Queensland and in the Great Dividing Range of northern New South Wales. Remnant populations can be found in the Shoalhaven district and in the Warrumbungle Range of New South Wales. There are also remnant populations in the East Gippsland area and in the Grampians of Victoria. These remnant populations are considered endangered. The Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby tends to eat mainly grasses but is also a browser including seeds, fruit and flowers in the diet. In the northern part of its range the Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby comes into contact with a similar species, the Herbert's Rock-Wallaby and a narrow hybrid zone has formed. In this zone, a hybrid Rock-Wallaby has been created, with some female hybrids being fertile, allowing limited exchange of genes between the two populations.