Hobbies And Interests
Size and Appearance
Wallabies typically stand 2 1/2 to 3-feet tall when fully grown. They weigh anywhere from 25 to 60 pounds. Their torsos resemble the shape of a teardrop, with a low center of gravity. They have a thick fur pelt, which keeps them warm during seasonally low temperatures. They have long tails, strong hind legs, two shorter and weaker front legs and have a small head on a thick, but graceful neck
Activity
Most wallabies spend 8 to 12 hours foraging at night for food, making them nocturnal animals. They remain more difficult to see at night, especially by foxes, who actively hunt them as a prey.
Tails and Balance
The wallaby tail can be quite long, reaching 43 inches, for the larger species. The tail provides a balancing mechanism, assisting the animal in hopping and making sharp turns. Many wallabies can tuck their tail under them and use it for a seat crutch.
Legs and Locomation
Wallabies have very powerful and muscular hind legs that allows them to hop with strides of 12 feet and more. They can reach speeds of 35 mph, and change direction very quickly. The front legs are much smaller and weaker, and used for infrequent quadruped movement, and manipulating objects.
Birth
The female wallaby gives live birth to a very small, pink offspring. Her gestation period ranges between 28 and 32 days. The baby, called a joey, is born blind and helpless, and measure about 1/2-inch in length.. The mother wallaby licks a path to her pouch, which the baby finds and enters. The baby stays in the pouch, suckling from one teat, until it grows large enough to leave the pouch and explore the environment.
Feet and Toes
The wallaby has four toes on each foot. The second and third toes on all feet are fused together to form a single pad. The rock wallaby has distinct friction ridges on the bottom of its toes, for grasping and adhering to rock surfaces. All wallabies have small claws on the ends of their toes.
Defense
The primary defense of wallabies when encountering danger, involves using a quick burst of speed and sustained hopping, to out-distance predators They can reach a top speed of 35 mph and more, when evading predators. Wallabies which have been forced into close quarter battle, strike out with powerful kicks from their hind legs, inflicting injuries with their claws.
Ears
Wallabies have very long ears, that come to points or have semi-rounded profiles. The ears range from 2 to 4 inches, depending upon the species. The ears serve as large dish collectors, making them very sensitive to the slightest sounds. The ears function as warning devices, flagging the approach of predators.
Care of Young
The female wallaby can have one nursing baby, and one youngster underfoot at the same time. They both nurse from the mother, but she supplies a richer nutrient milk to the older offspring. They can both inhabit the pouch at the same time, without injury or inconvenience to each other.
Warning Devices
Many species of the wallaby thump their tail on the ground to warn of dangerous intruders. Upon the warning, the entire pack can take flight and escape the threat.