Kangaroo Footprints

Six species of macropod are already extinct and a number of species listed as endangered or threatened.

Macropod means big foot. Although members of the macropod family live in diverse habitats all over Australia and can vary in colour and size ranging from 90kg to half a kilo, they all have 'big feet' in common. They use their powerful hind legs, strong tail and big feet to cover large distances in every hop.

For fact sheets about all the species of macropod in Australia and where you can see them, visit the Kangaroo Trail website www.rootourism.com.au You will find information on each species: description, habitat, diet, breeding and whether it is a mob or a solitary animal.

All photographs are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission.

The macropod family contains a number of different groups:

KANGAROOS

Red Kangaroo (macropus rufus)
Photo © Pat O'Brien	The Red Kangaroo is the world's largest living marsupial. Red kangaroos live in the hot arid areas of central Australia. Males can grow up to 90kg and reach a height of 1.8 metres while females are smaller at 35kg and grow to 1.25 metres. Groups or mobs can number from 20 to several hundred when food and water are plentiful.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)	Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus)
Photo © Brett Clifton	Photo © Pat O'Brien
Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos are the second largest kangaroos. The Eastern Greys as their name implies, live in the eastern third of the country while the Western Greys live in the southern and western areas. They grow to 70kg and reach a height of 1.6 metres while females are smaller at 35kg and grow to 1.2 meters. Groups or mobs can number from 10 to over a hundred when food and water are plentiful.
WALLAROOS
Black Wallaroo (macropus bernardus)
Photo © Davidsons Arnhemlands Safaris	The Black Wallaroo is the smallest of the Wallaroo species. Black Wallaroos live only in areas of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Males have a stocky build and grow to 22kg and about 1 metre tall while females are smaller at 13kg and grow to 80cm in height. They are solitary animals.

Antilopine Wallaroo (macropus antilopinus)	Common Wallaroo / Euro (macropus robustus)
Photo © Sarah Hirst	Photo © Brett Clifton
The Antilopine Wallaroo lives in Australia's tropical north. Males grow to 49kg and reach a height of 1.5 metres while females weigh up to 20kg and grow to 1 metre in height. They usually live in small groups of up to 20.	The Common Wallaroo, also called the Euro in the inland and in Western Australia is found right across Australia. Males have a solid build with muscular arms and shoulders. They grow to 58kg and reach a height of 1.6m while females are smaller at 25kg and grow to 1.2metres. They are mainly solitary animals.

WALLABIES

A number of wallaby species are threatenend or endangered due to extensive habitat clearance and predation by foxes.

Agile Wallaby (macropus agilis)	Black-gloved (Kwoora)Wallaby * threatened
Photo © Kellie Payne	Photo © Marg Larner
The Agile Wallaby is the most common macropod in tropical Australia and lives in the northern areas of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Males grow to 27kg and females to 15kg. They are usually solitary but are sometimes seen in small groups.	The Black-gloved Wallaby (also known as the Western Brush Wallaby) was once widespread in the south of Western Australia. Their numbers have been greatly reduced by land clearing. Males and females weigh about 8kg and stand 65cm tall. They are usually solitary but may be seen in small groups when grazing.
Black-striped Wallaby threatened (macropus dorsalis)*	Black-striped Wallaby (macropus dorsalis)
Photo © www.wildlifemountain.com	Photo © www.wildlifemountain.com
The Black-striped Wallaby is found in northern New South Wales into southern Queensland. Males can grow to 20kg while the females are much smaller at around 8kg. They are usually solitary but may be seen in small groups of ten or more when grazing.
Parma Wallaby threatened (macropus parma)*	Red-necked wallaby (macropus rufogriseus)
	Photo © Ray Drew
The Parma Wallaby was thought to be extinct in Australia and only found in New Zealand after being introduced there over a century ago. Small colonies have been found on the eastern coast of New South Wales. Males grow to 5kg and females to 4kg. They are usually solitary animals.	The Red-Necked Wallaby (known as Bennett’s Wallaby in Tasmania) is found in a range of habitats along the eastern coast of Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. The males range in size from 15 to 27kg and females from 11 to 16kg. They are usually solitary but may be seen in groups when grazing.
Tammar Wallaby threatened (macropus eugenii)*	Toolache Wallaby *extinct
Photo © Pat O'Brien	Image © John Gould
The Tammar Wallaby is found on Kangaroo Island (the main population) and in the south of Western Australia and has recently been reintroduced back into South Australia where it had become extinct in the 1920s. Males average 7.5kg and females 5.5kg. They are usually solitary but may be seen in groups when grazing.	The Toolache Wallaby in South Australia is now extinct. It was hunted for sport and its beautiful fur. Land clearance and introduction of foxes contributed to its extinction. It was common in 1910 but rare by 1923.
Swamp Wallaby (wallabia bicolour)	Whiptail Wallaby (macropus parryi)
Photo © Stella Reid	Photo © OzWildlife
The Swamp Wallaby lives along the eastern coast from north Queensland to Victoria. It is genetically different from all other kangaroos and wallabies. Unline many of the smaller wallabies, the number of swamp wallabies is still strong. They have a solid build and weigh up to 17kg and stand 70cm high. They are usually solitary animals	The Whiptail Wallaby (also known as the Pretty Face Wallaby) is found along the east coast of northern NSW up into Queensland. Males range from 14 to 26kg and females from 7kg to 15kg. They are usually found in small groups ranging from six up to 30 or more animals.

FOREST WALLABIES
The six species of Forest Wallabies are found only in Papua New Guinea.
HARE-WALLABIES
Hare - Wallabies (named because they are about the size of a rabbit or hare) were once common in inland Australia but two of the species, the Central Hare-Wallaby and the Eastern Hare-Wallaby have become extinct since European settlement.
Banded Hare - Wallaby threatened (lagostrophus fasciatus)*	Mala (Rufus Hare-Wallaby) *endangered (lagorchestes hirsutis)

The Banded Hare-Wallaby, is a small wallaby weighing up to 3kg. This species is found on offshore islands off Western Australia.	The Mala or Rufous Hare-Wallaby is a small wallaby weighing up to 1.3 kg. This species once lived in a wide area of central and western Australia but is now found on offshore islands off Western Australia.
Spectacled Hare - Wallaby vulnerable (lagorchestes conspicillatus)*

The Spectacled Hare Wallaby is named for the red fur around its eyes which look like glasses. The wallabies live in the central desert but are now disappearing from the southern area of desert. Adults weigh 1.5kg to 4.5kg. They are solitary animals.
NAILTAIL WALLABIES The Nailtail Wallabies are named for the horny tip on the end of their tail. The only nailtail wallaby that is still surviving in large numbers is the Northern Nailtail Wallaby. The Bridled Nailtail Wallby is endangered. The Crescent Nailtail Wallaby is now extinct.
Bridled Nailtail Wallaby endangered (onychogalea fraenata)*	Northern Nailtail Wallaby and twins (onychogalea unguifera)
Photo © Pat O'Brien	© Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby was almost extinct but is now being reintroduced back into the wild through a captive breeding program. They live in the dry inland. They weigh about 5kg and are about 45cm tall.	The Northern Nailtail Wallaby lives in the drier northern parts of Australia. They weigh up to 7kg and are about 45cm tall.
ROCK WALLABIES Rock Wallabies favour a habitat with rocks and slopes, cliffs and gorges. They are able to move around well in steep rocky areas as the pads on their feet, which are shorter than the other macropods, help them to grip the rocky surface. Their tail is long and helps them with balance. They usually live in groups ranging from a few to over 100.
Black-footed Rock Wallaby vulnerable (petrogale lateralis)*	Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby* vulnerable (petrogale penicilata)
Photo © Wikimedia	Photo © Ray Drew
The Black-footed Rock Wallaby lives in central Australia and Western Australia. Males are usually 4.5kg and females 4.5kg. They usually live in social groups.	The Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby is found along the east coast up into southern Queensland. Males avarage around 8kg and femals 4.2kg. They live in social groups.
Unadorned Rock Wallaby (petrogale inornata)	Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby *vulnerable (petrogale xanthopus)
Photo © www.rootourism.com	Photo © Pat O'Brien
The Unadorned Rock Wallaby is found in the mid north coast of Queensland. Males average around 5kg and females 4.2kg. They live in social groups	The Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is found in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, and a small colony in central Queensland. They can weigh from 6kg up to 12kg. They usually live in social groups..

PADEMELONS
Red-legged Pademelon (thylogale stigmatica) Photo © Damon Ramsay	Red-necked Pademelon (thylogale thetis) Photo © Wikimedia
The Red-legged Pademelon is found in northern New South Wales up into north Queensland. They prefer tropical and sub tropical rainforest habitat. Males average 7kg and females 4kg. They are usually solitary animals.	The Red-necked Pademelon is found in the rainforest areas of NSW and southern Queensland. Males average 7kg and females 4kg. They are usually solitary animals.
Red-bellied/Tasmanian Pademelon (thylogale billardierii) Photo © Wikimedia	Photo ©
The Tasmanian Pademelon is widespread, living in a range of habitats. Males average 7kg and females to 4kg. They are usually solitary but can be found grazing at night in groups. This species of pademelon was found also in the coastal areas of Victoria and South Australia but has disappeared from these areas.
TREE KANGAROOS Tree-kangaroos really do spend their time in trees, mainly in the rainforest areas of north Queensland (eight species are found in Papua new Guinea).
Bennett's Tree Kangaroo *threatened. (dendrolagus bennetianus)	Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo *threatenend (dendrolagus lumholzi)
Photo © Wikimedia	Photo © Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary
Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo is the larger of the two species. Males can grow to 14kg and females to 11kg. They are found in northeast Queensland in the rainforest. They are usually solitary but sometimes seen in pairs.	Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo is smaller in size. Males grow to about 8.5kg and females to 7kg. They are found in northeast Queensland in the rainforest. They are usually solitary.
QUOKKA Quokka *vulnerable (setonix brachyurus)
Photo © Marg Larner	While there are a few small colonies in southern Western Australia, the quokka is now seen most often on Rottnest Island off Western Australia. They are small solidly built wallabies, weighing between 2 to 4kg and standing 30cm tall.

BETTONGS Bettongs belong to the Potoroidae or rat-kangaroo family of macropods.
Brush-tailed Bettong/Woylie *endangered (bettongia penicillata)	Burrowing Bettong / Boodie *vulnerable (bettongia lesueur)
The Woylie was once widespread across Australia. It is now endangered. They have been reintroduced into fox-proof reserves to build up their numbers. They weigh up to 1.6kg. They are usualy solitary.	The Boodie was once widespread across Australia. It is now found on islands offshore Western Australia. It was extinct on the mainland but now small groups have been reintroduced. Boodies weigh up to 1.5kg. They are usually solitary.
Northern Bettong *endangered (bettongia tropica)	Rufous Bettong (aepyprymnus rufescens)
Photo © DERM	Photo © Kelly Payne
The Northern Bettong is an endangered species, now found only in a small area of north Queensland. They can weigh up to 1.4kg. They are usually solitary.	The Rufous Bettong is the largest of the bettongs. It is found in northern New South Wales and Queensland. They are usually solitary
Tasmanian Bettong (bettongia giamardi)
Photo © Wikimedia
The Tasmanian Bettong is the largest of the bettongs weighing up to 2kg. They are usually solitary.

POTOROOS Potoroos belong to the Potoridae or Rat-kangaroo family of macropods. They hop on their hind feet and use their forefeet for digging.
Broad-faced Potoroo *extinct
Gilbert's Potoroo *endangered (potorous gilbertii)
Photo © Dick Walker & GIlbert's Potoroo Action Group	Gilbert's Potoroo, found in a small area in the south of Western Australlia was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1994. The wild population is thought to be around 30 - 40 animals. Males weigh up to 1.1kg and females to 900gm.

Long-footed potoroo *endangered (potorous longipes)	Long-nosed Potoroo *vulnerable (potorous tridactylis)
Photo © DEHWA	Photo © B.Jarman
The Long-footed Potoroo is found in Victoria. They are the largest of the potoroos weighing up to 2kg and grow to 40cm in length.	The Long-nosed Potoroo is the only widespread species of potoroo. They are found along the east coast from New South Wales to Tasmania. They grow to 1.6kg and growing to 38cm in length.
RAT KANGAROO The Desert Rat-kangaroo has not been seen since 1935 and is considered extinct.
Musky Rat-kangaroo (hypsisprymnodon moschatus)
Photo © Wikimedia	The small Musky Rat-kangaroo is the smallest of the macropods weighing only about half a kilo. They live in the tropical rainforest area of north Queensland. They are usually solitary animals.