Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby

Facts

scientific name

Petrogale xanthopus

conservation status

Near threatened

weight

7 - 13 Kilograms

diet

Rock-wallabies feed on fallen leaves, grasses, shrubs and sometimes bark.

habitat

It is not typically found near human habitation, instead preferring rough terrain and rock outcroppings. Rock wallabies scale cliffs and climb rocks with superb agility and can leap sizable chasms.

The Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is a mainly nocturnal wallaby that is found in arid areas of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia and pockets of populations in New South Wales. As daytime temperatures often hit and exceed 40 degrees Celsius; they avoid the heat by sheltering in caves and overhangs and feeding at dusk. This brightly coloured wallaby is swift and agile, enabling it to move freely around rock faces. Today in the wild the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby is a protected species, in the past, they were hunted by man for their brightly coloured skins. Wallabies belong to the same family as kangaroos, so the female has a pouch where her joey (baby) grows and develops. The main difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo is the size.