Allied rock-wallaby

The Queensland rock-wallaby can leap across sheer cliffs with astonishing accuracy.
The allied rock wallaby gives birth to a young that lives in the mother's pouch for 6–7 months. The female usually gives birth to more than one young about 31 days after becoming pregnant.
It can descend almost vertical surfaces head-first.
In captivity it has lived more than 10 years.
Males mark territory with secretions from chest glands.
It drinks very little water and obtains moisture from plants.
The wallaby is mainly nocturnal and active at dawn.

Age

Allied rock wallabies typically live for between 5 and 10 years, although the theoretical lifespan can extend from 5 years and 10 months to 15 years and 1 month. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year and 6 months and 2 years and 2 months of age. The embryo develops in the uterus for approximately one month and is born very small, immediately transferring to the mother's pouch. The joey spends from 1 day to 7 months in the pouch, feeding only on milk and growing rapidly. Following this rapid growth stage, the young wallaby leaves the pouch but may occasionally return for milk, learning to jump on rocks and forage for plants, a period lasting from 7 months to 2 years. The adult stage begins at 2 years of age and lasts until 11 years, during which time the animal can reproduce and lives independently. A joey’s eyes open between 4 months and 5 months and 1 week of age.

Phenotype

The allied rock wallaby has an embryo that is hairless, with large front paws for crawling into the pouch. The young’s fur gradually grows, becoming grey-brown; the young also experience rapid growth, and their hind legs are large, with strong hind legs for jumping and climbing rocks, while their tail is long, aiding in balance on cliffs. Adult allied rock wallabies possess dense grey-brown fur that helps them camouflage among rocks, and they have large eyes to see well in twilight. The adult’s hind legs are powerful, with sharp claws for gripping rocks, and the adult also has a long and strong tail which functions as a counterbalance when jumping.

Physiology

Allied rock wallabies measure in body length from 42 to 55 centimeters and weigh from 2.72 to 4.26 kilograms; the adult phase has a body mass from 4.2 to 5.5 kilograms and a body length from 45 to 55 centimeters. The embryo stage exhibits a body mass from 0.5 to 1 gram and a body length from 1.5 to 2 centimeters, while the joey stage displays a body mass from 1 gram to 1.5 kilograms and a body length from 2 to 25 centimeters. The young after rapid growth have a body mass from 1.5 to 3.5 kilograms and a body length from 25 to 45 centimeters.

Habitat

Allied rock wallabies inhabit elevations up to 800 meters above sea level and are found in tropical savannas with hot temperatures and uneven rainfall, as well as temperate steppes with abundant grasses and infrequent rainfall. The species occupies dry landscapes, high mountain areas and tundra, deserts and semi-deserts, grasslands and steppes, herbaceous land, and scrubland. Climates where they live include hot steppes with very hot summers and dry conditions, extremely dry environments with rare rainfall, winters with little precipitation and more rain in summer, hot climates with little winter rainfall and summer rains, and consistently hot conditions year-round with frequent rainfall but occasional dryness.

Shelter

Allied rock wallabies inhabit rocky outcrops and canyons; the species does not have a permanent or long-term shelter. They use grasses for shelter, which serves purposes including breeding, resting, and protection from the sun. Allied rock wallabies do not have a fixed shelter.

Geography

Allied rock wallabies are found within the biogeographical region of Australasia, specifically inhabiting the Einasleigh Uplands savanna and the Carpentaria tropical savanna ecosystems.

Feeding

Allied rock wallabies consume plants that grow near rocks, including grass, leaves, and fruits; the species gathers and chews vegetation with its hands and teeth. Their diet consists of grasses, leaves, shoots, flowers, fruits, grass, young shoots and sprouts, nectar, and fruits. The feeding strategy involves searching for and obtaining food through grazing. A daily food requirement ranges from 200 grams to 450 grams. Young allied rock wallabies, known as joeys, are fed milk.

Reproduction

Allied rock wallabies inhabit terrestrial environments, developing on land away from bodies of water, and their young develop in the pouch or mouth of a parent on land. The female carries the offspring in her pouch or mouth on land. Gestation lasts one month, and the female gives birth to one very small joey. A litter has one joey, which enters the pouch and remains there for several months. The species reproduces through homogamy, involving fertilization without generational change. Maturity is reached from 1 year 6 months to 2 years 2 months. The reproductive interval ranges from 6 months 3 weeks to 1 year 1 month. Nests are built on the ground or near it, or within tree trunks, caves, or crevices, with nests also found on rocks, cliffs, or rock outcrops. In nests located in tree trunks or caves/crevices, only the mother exhibits parental care.