Wallabies and Other Roos
The Wallaby may grow to 4½ feet (1.4 m) long, including a 29-inch (74-cm) tail, but some wallabies are as small as house cats. One of the smallest, the rock wallaby, is noted for its daring leaps across deep, wide chasms. Members of one group of small wallabies are called hare wallabies because they are similar in color and size to the hare. The nail-tailed wallaby is so named because its tail is tipped with a horny spur. Wallabies are hunted for their meat and pelts. Many species of wallabies are threatened or endangered.
The “wannabe” is actually a wallaby. Wallabies are part of the same marsupial family as kangaroos. They are all known as macropods. The word macropod means big foot. Wallabies look just like kangaroos, but most of them have smaller bodies and feet.
A rock wallaby hops among the rocks. Rock wallabies have thick, rough pads on the bottoms of their feet. These pads are just like the soles on hiking shoes. The pads protect rock wallabies’ feet and help them grip hard, jagged rocks.
The Tree Kangaroo can leap 40 feet (12 m) from tree to tree. Tree kangaroos typically grow to about four feet (1.2 m) long, including a 24-inch (60-cm) tail. Their forelegs and hind legs are of almost equal length. Many species of tree kangaroos are threatened or endangered.
The Rat-Kangaroo eats insects, worms, and plants. Rat-kangaroos weigh less than eight pounds (3.6 kg). The musky rat-kangaroo is the smallest kangaroo. It grows to about 18 inches (46 cm) in length, including a 7-inch (18-cm) tail. It gives birth to two or three young at a time. Many species of rat-kangaroos are endangered.
The potoroo (POH toh roo) is Australia’s most ancient kind of kangaroo. Potoroos have been around for millions of years. They look like tiny rats. A potoroo is less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall. It has dark, grayish-brown fur; a pointed snout; and short, round ears. Potoroos dig for food with their front claws. They hop along the ground and feed on roots, mushrooms, and insects.
Another unusual marsupial is the quokka (KWAH-kuh). It is one of the smallest kangaroos. It is less than 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall. Quokkas are shy animals that also look like rats. Most quokkas live on Rottnest Island, off the southwest coast of Australia. Rottnest is Dutch for rat’s nest. Rottnest Island was so named because explorers thought quokkas were giant rats.
Another type of kangaroo is the wallaroo (WAHL uh roo), also called the Euro. The name wallaroo is a combination of wallaby and kangaroo. Wallaroos are larger than wallabies and smaller than gray and red kangaroos. Don’t let their short legs fool you. Their legs may be short, but they are sturdier than the legs of even the biggest kangaroos. Wallaroos are the only kangaroos with bare, black snouts.
You probably won’t see a wallaroo on a hot, sunny day. That’s because wallaroos stay “indoors.” Like other marsupials, wallaroos conserve body fluids by staying in the shade. But wallaroos find their shade in caves and under rock ledges in hilly areas. When a wallaroo gets thirsty, it doesn’t go out looking for a drink. It just digs a water hole in the ground.
Some authorities classify all kangaroos in the family Macropodidae. Others consider rat-kangaroos to be in their own family, Potoroidae. The red kangaroo is Macropus rufus; eastern gray kangaroo, M. giganteus; euro, M. robustus. Rock wallabies are of the genus Petrogale; hare wallabies, of the genus Lagor-chestes; nail-tailed wallabies of the genus Ony-chogalea. Tree kangaroos are of the genus Dendrolagus. Most rat-kangaroos are of the genus Potorous or the genus Bettongia. The musky rat-kangaroo is Hypsiprimnodon moschatus.
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