wallaby

(plural – ‘wallabies’; for the right pronunciation, please click here)

a white wallaby

a kind of animal – mammal – marsupial (= animal whose female has a bag-like skin fold on its abdomen, called ‘pouch’, for the young baby to stay and grow) – four-legged – grass-eating – nocturnal (= active at night) – looks like (resembles) and related to the kangaroos – mostly smaller than a ‘kangaroo’ with grey, brown, red or black soft, thick, woolly fur (coat), cone-shaped head, rounded, straight ears, forward-facing eyes, pointed muzzle (= mouth and nose part), short neck, short front legs with claws, stout body, long hind (back) legs with long four-toed feet with claws, long, round and thick tail; size: the smallest – Tamar wallaby – 1½ feet in length and 3-6 Kg. in weight, and the largest – red-necked wallaby – 6 feet in length and 20-25 Kg. in weight, tail 10-30 inches in length; lives for 9-15 years; about 30 species, found in Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand (introduced) and New Guinea

Special Features:

purple-necked rock wallaby

Wallabies are small kangaroos; some species, such as the red-necked wallabies, look so similar to kangaroos that they are mistaken for kangaroos.

Wallabies, along with the kangaroos, have been hunted for their meat and skins.

Scientists discovered a species of rock wallaby, called ‘purple-necked rock wallaby’, that has purple fur on its face and neck!

Like the kangaroos, wallabies are also very popular not only in Australia but also in several other countries: Rocko the wallaby is the lead character in the “Rocko’s modern life”, a popular comic and cartoon and TV serial; and the wallaby has been used in the Japanese cartoons (manga)!

The Australian national rugby team is nicknamed ‘wallabies’!