Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) is a member of the macropod family (the marsupial
family that includes the kangaroo
s, wallabies
, tree-kangaroo
s, wallaroo
s, and others).
The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby is grey-brown with a yellow striped tail, white underside, yellow forearms and yellow feet. A fully grown adult will stand 60 cm (23.6 in) high and weighs 7–13 kg (15.4–28.7 lb).
This rock-wallaby
is found in western New South Wales
, northwestern Victoria
, the east of South Australia
and even small bits of Queensland
. It does not usually live in places near humans, for it prefers a rocky environment.
At least one subspecies of this nocturnal diprotodont (P. x. xanthopus) appears on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
as Vulnerable
. The subspecies has a population of only about 5,000-10,000 in Queensland
, is present in small numbers in the Flinders Ranges
of South Australia
and known from only the Gap and Cotraundee Ranges in New South Wales
.
The other subspecies (P. x. celeris) is listed at Near Threatened
. This species prefers rock crevices and caves in isolated rock outcrops and ridges in semi-arid country. It is threatened by fox
predation, competition with domestic and wild introduced species
(particularly goat
s, rabbits, and sheep), and wildfires.
The yellow-footed rock wallaby, one of the handsomest marsupials, was once killed in large numbers for its pelt. Rock wallabies scale cliffs and climb rocks with superb agility and can leap sizable chasms. Because their habitat is relatively inaccessible to grazing animals, rock wallabies have generally fared better than other small members of the kangaroo family.
. The two small mountain ranges in the far west of the state are still the only known places where the species survives in New South Wales.
The habitat of the surviving population is partly on private land, granting inadequate protection for the colonies. Scientists were certain that without immediate action the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby would become extinct in New South Wales.
In 1979, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
purchased 100 square kilometres of this land, which then became Coturaundee Nature Reserve, for the conservation and protection of the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby. Further funds were allocated to fox and goat eradication.
Annual surveys of the area, which is now part of Mutawintji National Park, confirm that the population is now recovering, having grown every year since 1995. There are now between 300 and 400 wallabies.
The recovery strategy that saved the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby now serves now as a model to preserve other rock-wallabies including the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
from extinction.
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
family that includes the kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroos are macropods adapted for life in trees. They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea, far northeastern Queensland, and nearby islands. Although most are found in mountainous areas, several species also occur in lowlands, such as the aptly named Lowlands Tree-kangaroo...
s, wallaroo
Wallaroo
A Wallaroo is any of three closely related species of moderately large macropod, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The name "wallaroo" is a portmanteau of wallaby and kangaroo. The term is not generally used by Australians...
s, and others).
The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby is grey-brown with a yellow striped tail, white underside, yellow forearms and yellow feet. A fully grown adult will stand 60 cm (23.6 in) high and weighs 7–13 kg (15.4–28.7 lb).
This 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...
is found in western 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...
, northwestern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, the east of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and even small bits of 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...
. It does not usually live in places near humans, for it prefers a rocky environment.
At least one subspecies of this nocturnal diprotodont (P. x. xanthopus) appears on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
. The subspecies has a population of only about 5,000-10,000 in 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...
, is present in small numbers in the Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and known from only the Gap and Cotraundee Ranges in 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...
.
The other subspecies (P. x. celeris) is listed at Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
. This species prefers rock crevices and caves in isolated rock outcrops and ridges in semi-arid country. It is threatened by fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
predation, competition with domestic and wild introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
(particularly goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, rabbits, and sheep), and wildfires.
The yellow-footed rock wallaby, one of the handsomest marsupials, was once killed in large numbers for its pelt. Rock wallabies scale cliffs and climb rocks with superb agility and can leap sizable chasms. Because their habitat is relatively inaccessible to grazing animals, rock wallabies have generally fared better than other small members of the kangaroo family.
Conservation
In New South Wales the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby was first recorded in 1964 in the Coturaundee Ranges, now part of Mutawintji National ParkMutawintji National Park
Mutawintji is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 878 km west of Sydney and about 130 km north-east of Broken Hill.The rugged, mulga-clad Byngnano Range is dissected by colourful gorges, rockpools and creek beds lined with red gums...
. The two small mountain ranges in the far west of the state are still the only known places where the species survives in New South Wales.
The habitat of the surviving population is partly on private land, granting inadequate protection for the colonies. Scientists were certain that without immediate action the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby would become extinct in New South Wales.
In 1979, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is an Australian not-for-profit, non-government organisation that was incorporated on 29 June 1970. Its purpose is to foster the protection of Australia's native plants, animals and cultural heritage through fundraising for environmental education and...
purchased 100 square kilometres of this land, which then became Coturaundee Nature Reserve, for the conservation and protection of the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby. Further funds were allocated to fox and goat eradication.
Annual surveys of the area, which is now part of Mutawintji National Park, confirm that the population is now recovering, having grown every year since 1995. There are now between 300 and 400 wallabies.
The recovery strategy that saved the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby now serves now as a model to preserve other rock-wallabies including the 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...
from extinction.