Bennett’s wallaby

Bennett’s wallaby.

The lovable loners from down under
Tasmanian devil? Nothing to do with the Bennett’s wallaby! Although it is also at home on the island of Tasmania, which lies around 240 kilometres off the coast of Australia. Bennett’s wallabies are a sub-species of the red-necked wallabies.

Characteristics
Bennett’s wallabies usually grow to around a metre in size and have a muscular tail of around 70 centimetres in length. They weigh between 14 and 19 kilograms. The males are significantly larger than the females. Their fur is reddish on the neck and shoulder area, the rest of the body is a grey-brown colour.

Area of origin
Bennett’s wallabies are a sub-species of the red-necked wallabies that lives in the eucalyptus forests of Tasmania and is somewhat smaller than its fellow kangaroos on the Australian mainland. The animals are at their most active at dusk, but they sometimes go in search of food during the day. Bennett’s wallabies are generally loners and do not form permanent groups. The mother carries new-borns around in her pouch for around nine months.

Diet
Bennett’s wallabies are vegetarians and feed mostly on grasses, shoots and small plants.

Conservation status
Red-necked wallabies are still very widespread and are not an endangered species. There is even a small population in Scotland. Attempts have also been made to introduce the animals in England and Austria, although these have not been very successful. In 2001 several animals escaped from a zoo in Mecklenburg and three were never caught. Since that time they have been breeding in the wild in the area around Burg Stargard.

Tasmania – island at the end of the world!