Purple-necked Rock-wallaby
Encyclopedia
The Purple-necked Rock-wallaby (Petrogale purpureicollis) was first classified in 1924 by Albert Sherbourne Le Souef
, then director of the Taronga Zoo
in Sydney, Australia, who noted a strange purple colouration around the neck as well as skull differences separating it from other rock-wallaby
species. The species has undergone taxonomic upheaval for decades and has variously been classified as a Unadorned Rock-wallaby
, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
, and Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
. Le Souef and others have asserted that it was a new species, and this has been affirmed by a 2001 paper in the Australian Journal of Zoology.
The purple colouration was thought by some sceptical scientists to be due to the animal rubbing against a dye, but the animal does in fact secrete the purple pigment. The pigment is known to wash off in the rain and fade away after death, causing some possible confusion with other rock-wallaby species.
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef was an Australian zoologist.Le Souef was the son of Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souef and brother of Ernest Albert Le Souef and Dudley Le Souef. He was the first director of the Taronga Zoo from 1916 to 1939...
, then director of the Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
in Sydney, Australia, who noted a strange purple colouration around the neck as well as skull differences separating it from other rock-wallaby
Rock-wallaby
The rock-wallabies are the wallabies of the genus Petrogale.-Description:The medium-sized, often colourful and extremely agile rock-wallabies live where rocky, rugged and steep terrain can provide daytime refuge...
species. The species has undergone taxonomic upheaval for decades and has variously been classified as a Unadorned Rock-wallaby
Unadorned Rock-wallaby
The Unadorned Rock-wallaby is a member of a group of closely related rock-wallabies found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is paler than most of its relatives and even plainer, hence its common name....
, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby or Small-eared Rock-wallaby is a kind of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. It inhabits rock piles and cliff lines along the Great Dividing Range from about 100 km north-west of Brisbane to northern Victoria, in vegetation ranging from...
, and Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
The Black-flanked Rock-wallaby , also known as the Black-footed Rock-wallaby or Warru, is a kind of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale.-Description:...
. Le Souef and others have asserted that it was a new species, and this has been affirmed by a 2001 paper in the Australian Journal of Zoology.
The purple colouration was thought by some sceptical scientists to be due to the animal rubbing against a dye, but the animal does in fact secrete the purple pigment. The pigment is known to wash off in the rain and fade away after death, causing some possible confusion with other rock-wallaby species.
External links
- Entry into the Australian Journal of Zoology
- Short biography of Albert Sherbourne Le Souef
- ABC article This page has an image.