Macropus dorsalis
- Females can show embryonic diapause, pausing a second embryo while the pouch is occupied.
- Gestation is about 30–34 days; joey stays in the pouch 7–8 months.
- The black-striped wallaby (now Notamacropus dorsalis) has a clear dark stripe from neck to tail base.
- Feeds on grasses, herbs and young shoots, shaping understorey.
- The animals often use permanent paths between shelters and feeding areas.
- Mostly nocturnal; shelters by day in dense vegetation including lantana thickets.
- It ranges in eastern Australia from northeastern Queensland to northern New South Wales in forests with dense understorey.
- Listed as Least Concern but threatened by land clearing.
Старост
Black-striped scrub wallabies typically live from 8 to 20 years, with a maximum lifespan of 30 years, although their theoretical lifespan ranges from 7 years and 7 months to 16 years and 8 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year and 6 months and 2 years of age, and the young’s eyes open between 4 months and 5 months and 1 week. During the embryonic stage, the embryo develops inside the mother for a very short time before a tiny joey is born. The joey then lives in the mother's pouch, feeds on milk, and gradually grows for a duration of from 5 months to 7 months and 1 week. Following this, the young enters a phase of rapid growth, leaving the pouch but remaining near its mother while learning to find food, a period lasting from 7 months and 1 week to 2 years. The adult stage begins when the animal is capable of reproduction and lives independently, continuing for a duration of from 2 to 12 years.
Фенотип
The black-striped wallaby has a dark stripe that runs along the spine from the head to the tail; young individuals exhibit rapid growth and possess this stripe. An adult black-striped scrub wallaby also has a black stripe on its back, which serves as camouflage in the shade of trees. The species has four legs, with powerful hind legs enabling long jumps, and one long tail that helps maintain balance during jumps.
Физиологија
Black-striped scrub wallabies measure in body length from 60 centimeters to 1.1 meters and weigh from 5 to 18 kilograms; the embryo stage has a body mass from 0.5 to 1 gram and a body length from 1 to 2 centimeters; the joey stage exhibits a body mass from 5 grams to 3 kilograms and a body length from 5 to 30 centimeters; the young after rapid growth have a body mass from 3 to 8 kilograms and a body length from 40 to 80 centimeters; the adult stage displays a body mass from 8 to 18 kilograms and a body length from 70 centimeters to 1.1 meters.
Станиште
The black-striped wallaby inhabits elevations up to 800 meters above sea level and occupies diverse biomes, including temperate mixed forests with warm summers and abundant oak, birch, and maple trees; tropical dry forests characterized by heat and a dry season where trees lose their leaves; flooded meadows where water frequently inundates the ground and grasses flourish; and tropical savannas with uneven rainfall and plentiful grasses and trees. The species is found in terrestrial landscapes such as dry land, forested areas, scrubland, and woodlands. The climate varies considerably across its range, including hot steppes with very hot, dry summers and abundant grasses, extremely arid conditions with infrequent rainfall resembling a desert, hot climates with almost no precipitation, very hot summers exceeding +25 to +30 degrees Celsius, and consistently wet environments with nearly constant rain and high humidity.
Склониште
Black-striped scrub wallabies inhabit forest edges and light woodlands and do not have a permanent or long-term shelter; the species does not have a fixed shelter and utilizes grass for protection from predators and for resting.
Географија
The black-striped wallaby is found within the biogeographical region of Australasia and occupies temperate forests of eastern Australia as well as tropical brigalow savanna ecosystems.
Храна
The black-striped wallaby is herbivorous, feeding on grass, leaves, and shrubs; it obtains food by gnawing on plants, including grass, leaves, shrub shoots, young shoots, and seedlings. The species employs a foraging strategy that includes grazing. Daily food consumption ranges from 400 grams to 1.2 kilograms.
Размножавање
Black-striped scrub wallabies inhabit terrestrial environments and develop on land, away from bodies of water; embryonic development lasts 3 weeks and 5 days. The female gives birth to a single very small joey, which immediately enters the mother’s pouch and remains there for several months. Reproduction can occur at any time of year, and the interval between reproductions is from 8 months to 1 year and 1 month. The young develop in the parent's pouch or mouth on land, with the mother carrying the offspring in her pouch or mouth on land. Sexual reproduction is homogamy, always involving fertilization and without generational change. Maturity is reached from 1 year and 6 months to 2 years, and a litter consists of 1 individual.