Wallabia bicolor
"two-coloured wallaby"

other names

Black Wallaby, Fern Wallaby, Black Stinker, or Black-Tailed Wallaby

DESCRIPTION

Male: Head and body length 723-847mm, tail length 690-862mm. Weight 12.3 to 20.5kg. Dark brown to black fur above with light yellow to rufous / orange below. Light yellow to light brown strip along chin line (conspicuous in northern part of range, more subtle in southern areas). Rufous colour around ears and back of neck. Extremities usually darker but tip of tail is occasionally white, especially in Queensland. Gait is quite different from other wallabies; head low, with tail straight out behind.

Female: Head and body length 665-750mm, tail length 640-728mm. Weight 10.3 to 15.4kg. Appearance as per male.

The Swamp Wallaby is a very shy creature, and is often seen darting for cover. It is quite common on the eastern side of Australia from the tip of Queensland down to the bottom Victoria. There is also a small population in the eastern corner of South Australia. The local distribution in each range is determined by the availability of adequate dense vegetation for shelter, with it's preferred habitat being areas of dense grass and ferns and eucalypt forests. The Swamp Wallaby rests by day hidden in shrubs and becomes active at dusk. It grazes on grasses, but will also eat foliage and flowers of both native and exotic species such as pine tree seedlings, ferns, grevillia, etc. The Swamp Wallaby becomes sexually mature at around 15 to 18 months old and breeding can occur throughout the year. The gestation period is 33 - 38 days and a single young is born. Pouch life is complete when the joey is 8 to 9 months old, but it continues to suckle as a young-at-foot til about 15 months old.