Mammals

Description:
Mammal – Marsupial
Family – Macropodidae
Black Wallabies, also commonly called Swamp Wallabies, have dark brown to almost black fur, with a yellowy-orange belly. These wallabies weigh between 13–17kg and stand about 70cm high.

Conservation Status:
Black Wallabies are common and widely found over most wooded regions in Victoria, as well as up the entire eastern coast of Australia. In Victoria, their distribution to the west has expanded quite substantially in the last few decades, as they can quickly recolonise dense understorey regrowth following logging or other disturbances like fire. These wallabies are considered to be a pest in young plantations, so become the target of 1080 poisoning campaigns. They rely on dense vegetation cover to hide away from foxes and dingoes. Dingoes will continue to harass the mother wallabies until they eject their joey from the pouch, which becomes easy prey. Black Wallabies are also frequently killed when crossing roads. 5 Black Wallabies from Phillip Island Wildlife Park were introduced to the Mt. Rothwell woodland in August 2004. Black Wallabies still live in the You Yangs and are occasionally sighted outside of the sanctuary during fence checks.

Habitat, Diet & Breeding:
Despite being called a Swamp Wallaby, these animals mostly live in tall, wet eucalypt forest or heath with thick undergrowth, and not just around swamps. The availability of plants to browse and proximity to cover influence the numbers of Black Wallabies living in an area. Population densities normally range from 3 to 10 individuals per km2, but up to 37/km2 have been found in areas with excellent habitat. In these optimal habitats, the wallabies may not move more than 500m, but they usually occupy a home range of around 16ha. Black Wallabies are essentially a solitary animal, though they may congregate to feed together at prime sites. As a generalist browser, Black Wallabies eat a wide range of shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, herbs and fungi. They have even been found to eat Bracken Fern and introduced Hemlock, both of which are poisonous to livestock.

Male and female Black Wallabies reach sexual maturity when they are 15-18 months old. Breeding can occur throughout the year, with a peak of births between April and September. A distinct breeding season tends to occur when the predator pressure is low. If the predator pressure is high, then there is continual breeding over the year with females having to replace the lost joeys. Like most of the kangaroo family, Black Wallabies exhibit embryonic diapause. However, the female of this species can successfully mate a second time up to 8 days before they’ve given birth to the more established foetus. The second embryo will remain dormant in the womb until the first young has left the pouch permanently. A single young is born after a 35 to 37 day gestation period. The joey stays in the pouch for 8-9 months and continues to suckle while at foot until it reaches independence at 15 months of age.

Interesting Facts:
Although the Black Wallaby appears to be an “ordinary” wallaby, they have a set of quite distinct characteristics that set them apart from all the other wallabies. This combination of genetic, reproductive, dental and behavioural differences has lead to Black Wallabies being classified as the sole living member of the Wallabia genus. Black Wallabies are a living relict from a separate evolutionary branch of early browsing macropods.