OzAnimals.com
Australian Wildlife

  Agile Wallaby (Macropus agilis)





Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Agile Wallaby photographed on South Stradbroke Island.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Agile Wallaby photographed on South Stradbroke Island. These wallabies are very tame and come right up to houses looking for food.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Hand feeding Agile Wallabies is not good for them. Males can become aggressive when they lose their fear of people..

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Agile Wallaby photographed on South Stradbroke Island

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
One evening while holidaying on South Stradbroke Island we heard thumping outside the back door. When we went out to investigate we found this Agile Wallaby had overturned the wheely bin and was eating a chicken carcass it had torn from a plastic bag.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Agile Wallaby, South Stradbroke Island, the pale stripe on thigh and pale face marking can be seen quite clearly in this shot.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Agile Wallaby | Macropus agilis photo
Male Agile Wallaby on beach, South Stradbroke Island. They scavenge for food on the beach, and we have seen one feeding on discarded fishing bait.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.







AGILE WALLABY FACTS

Description
The Agile Wallaby is a medium sized wallaby. Light sandy brown with paler underneath. Has pale cheek stripe and light stripe on thigh. The edges of ears are black. They live in small social groups and can often seen feeding out in the open in late afternoon.

Other Names
Sandy Wallaby, Grass Wallaby, River Wallaby

Size
body 80cm, tail 75cm

Habitat
Open forests, coastal plains, flood plains and woodlands right across tropical northern Australia. Also found in the south east of Papua Guinea.

Food
Native grasses and other plant leaves. Digs into soil to eat roots of grasses. On South Stradbroke Island it has been seen scavenging in bins to feed on food scraps.

Breeding
Breeds at any time during the year. A single joey born after gestation of 30 days. It stays in pouch for 7-8 months and is fully weaned at 10-12 months.

Range
Common in tropical areas of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Also found on Moreton Bay islands including North and South Stradbroke Island.

distribution map showing range of Macropus agilis in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Mammalia
Order:Diprotodontia
Family:Macropodidae
Genus:Macropus
Species:agilis
Common Name:Agile Wallaby

Relatives in same Genus
  Tammar Wallaby (M. eugenii)
  Western Grey Kangaroo (M. fuliginosus)
  Eastern Grey Kangaroo (M. giganteus)
  Parma Wallaby (M. parma)
  Whiptail Wallaby (M. parryi)
  Common Wallaroo (M. robustus)
  Red-necked Wallaby (M. rufogriseus)
  Red Kangaroo (M. rufus)