Parma Wallaby
Encyclopedia
The Parma Wallaby was first described by British naturalist John Gould
in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll
forests of southern New South Wales
, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct.
In 1965 workers on Kawau Island
(near Auckland
) attempting to control a plague of introduced Tammar Wallabies
(a widespread and fairly common species in Australia) were astonished to discover that some of the pests were not Tammar Wallabies at all, but a miraculously surviving population of Parma Wallabies—a species long thought extinct. The extermination effort was put on hold while individuals were captured and sent to institutions in Australia and around the world in the hope that they would breed in captivity and could eventually be reintroduced to their native habitat.
The renewed interest in the Parma Wallaby soon produced another surprise: in 1967 it was found that they still existed in the forests near Gosford, New South Wales
. Further investigation demonstrated that the Parma Wallaby was alive and well, and although not common, was to be found in forests along the Great Dividing Range
from near Gosford
almost as far north as the Queensland
border.
Interestingly, the offspring of the Kawau Island population are smaller than their fully wild relatives, even when provided with ample food: it appears that competition for limited food resources on the island selected for smaller individuals.
The Parma Wallaby is the smallest member of the genus Macropus, at between 3.2 and 5.8 kg (7 and 12 LB), less than one tenth the size of the largest surviving member, the Red Kangaroo
. It is about a half metre in length, with a sparsely furred, blackish tail about the same length again. The fur is a reddish or greyish brown above, greyer about the head, and fading to pale grey underneath. Presumably, individuals had been sighted many times during the years when it was "extinct", but mistaken for an especially slender and long-tailed example of the otherwise similar Red-legged
or Red-necked Pademelon
.
Like the pademelon
s, it prefers to occupy wet sclerophyll forest with thick undergrowth, and grassy patches, although Parma Wallabies are also found occasionally in dry eucalypt
forest and even rainforest. It is mainly nocturnal and usually shelters in thick scrub during the day, through which it can travel at speed along the runways it makes. It emerges from cover shortly before dusk to feed on grasses and herbs in forest clearings. The Parma Wallaby is largely solitary, with two or at most three animals sometimes coming together to feed in favourable circumstances.
Although the Parma Wallaby remains rare, there seems to be no immediate threat to it provided that more habitat destruction does not take place, and the population is thought to be slowly increasing.
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in about 1840. A shy, cryptic creature of the wet sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forests of southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, it was never common and, even before the end of the 19th century, it was believed to be extinct.
Kawau Island
Kawau Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. At its closest point it lies off the coast of the North Auckland Peninsula, just south of Tawharanui Peninsula, and about by sea journey from Sandspit Wharf, and shelters Kawau Bay...
(near Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
) attempting to control a plague of introduced Tammar Wallabies
Tammar Wallaby
The Tammar Wallaby , also known as the Dama Wallaby or Darma Wallaby, is a small member of the kangaroo family and is the model species for research on kangaroos and marsupials. It is found on offshore islands on the South Australian and Western Australian coast...
(a widespread and fairly common species in Australia) were astonished to discover that some of the pests were not Tammar Wallabies at all, but a miraculously surviving population of Parma Wallabies—a species long thought extinct. The extermination effort was put on hold while individuals were captured and sent to institutions in Australia and around the world in the hope that they would breed in captivity and could eventually be reintroduced to their native habitat.
The renewed interest in the Parma Wallaby soon produced another surprise: in 1967 it was found that they still existed in the forests near Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
. Further investigation demonstrated that the Parma Wallaby was alive and well, and although not common, was to be found in forests along the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
from near Gosford
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
almost as far north as the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border.
Interestingly, the offspring of the Kawau Island population are smaller than their fully wild relatives, even when provided with ample food: it appears that competition for limited food resources on the island selected for smaller individuals.
The Parma Wallaby is the smallest member of the genus Macropus, at between 3.2 and 5.8 kg (7 and 12 LB), less than one tenth the size of the largest surviving member, the Red Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.-Description:This species is a very...
. It is about a half metre in length, with a sparsely furred, blackish tail about the same length again. The fur is a reddish or greyish brown above, greyer about the head, and fading to pale grey underneath. Presumably, individuals had been sighted many times during the years when it was "extinct", but mistaken for an especially slender and long-tailed example of the otherwise similar Red-legged
Red-legged Pademelon
The Red-legged Pademelon is a species of small macropod found on the northeastern coast of Australia and in New Guinea. In Australia it has a scattered distribution from the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to around Tamworth in New South Wales...
or Red-necked Pademelon
Red-necked Pademelon
The Red-necked Pademelon is a forest-dwelling marsupial living in the eastern coastal region of Australia. Mainly nocturnal, the Red-necked Pademelon is very shy and generally inhabits temperate forests near grassland, hiding in the forests by day and emerging into the grasslands to graze in the...
.
Pademelon
Pademelons are small marsupials of the genus Thylogale. They are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods...
s, it prefers to occupy wet sclerophyll forest with thick undergrowth, and grassy patches, although Parma Wallabies are also found occasionally in dry eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forest and even rainforest. It is mainly nocturnal and usually shelters in thick scrub during the day, through which it can travel at speed along the runways it makes. It emerges from cover shortly before dusk to feed on grasses and herbs in forest clearings. The Parma Wallaby is largely solitary, with two or at most three animals sometimes coming together to feed in favourable circumstances.
Although the Parma Wallaby remains rare, there seems to be no immediate threat to it provided that more habitat destruction does not take place, and the population is thought to be slowly increasing.