Home > Animals > About the Animals > Mammals > Pouched Mammals > Tammar Wallaby

Tammar Wallaby

tammar_wallaby01_sm.jpg: Tammar wallaby
tammar_wallaby_sm.jpg: Tammar wallaby
Range: Australia
Habitat: Thickets and shrublands
Conservation Status: Near threatened
Scientific Name: Macropus eugenii

Like its cousin the kangaroo, the Tammar wallaby is a marsupial (pouched mammal) and a member of the macropod ("large foot") family.  Basically, a wallaby is any macropod that is not large enough to be considered a kangaroo.  There is no defined distinction between the two.  In general, a wallaby is smaller and stockier than a kangaroo. 

The Tammar wallaby spends its day at rest under dense vegetation and will only emerge to eat after dark.  Though several wallabies may eat together, they do not form large groups.

Did You Know?

The wallaby is able to survive in its dry habitat by drinking sea water when fresh water is not available.