Kingdom: Animals
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Marsupialia
Family: 22
Species: 292
Wallaby
Range: Coastal areas of southeastern Australia, Tasmania; introduced to South Island of New Zealand
Habitat: Open forests and the forest edge
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Scientific Name: Macropus rufogriseus
The single tiny young wallaby, born after a gestation period of only 30 days, weighs less than 1/30 of an ounce. It is about the size of a raisin. At birth, the tongue, nostrils, forelimbs, and digits are well developed. The baby wallaby crawls to the mother’s pouch, without any assistance from her, where it will stay for five months. It probably finds its way by sense of smell. We have four red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) at Scovill Zoo. You can find them near the train depot. In the wild, wallabies eat grass, fruit, and seeds. Here at the zoo, they eat dry food in the morning, followed by grass during the day, and vegetables in the afternoon.