Parma Wallaby

Facts

IUCN NEAR THREATENED (NT)

Facts about this animal

The Parma walalby is a small wallaby, with a head and body length up to 52 cm and a tail of almost the same length. Body weight may reach 6 kg. The fur is rufous or greyish above, grey about the head, and fading to pale grey underneath. There is s a white stripe along the lower lip that reaches almost to the eye. The tail is blackish and sparsely furred.

The preferred habitat of the Parma wallabies is moist eucalypt forest with thick, shrubby understorey, often with nearby grassy areas, rainforest margins and occasionally drier eucalypt forest. Typically they feed at night on grasses and herbs in more open eucalypt forest and the edges of nearby grassy areas. During the day they shelter in dense cover.

If there is enough food available, Parma wallabies will reproduce year-round.

Did you know?
that landowners and other people living in the Parma wallaby’s range could easily contribute to the survival of the species? They should be careful when driving at night through forest areas; undertake control of foxes and feral cats; manage burning and grazing to maintain the diversity and density of the understorey; and retain and protect stands of native vegetation, especially those known to contain populations.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	MARSUPIALIA
Suborder	DIPROTODONTIA
Family	MACROPODIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Macropus parma
Name (English)	Parma Wallaby
Name (French)	Wallaby de Parma
Name (German)	Parmawallaby
Name (Spanish)	Ualabi parma
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Adamantios

Distribution

Distribution
Range	New South Wales, Australia. Introduced to Kawau Island (New Zealand).
Habitat	Wet sclerophyll forests with thick undergrowth and grassy patches. Less often found in dry sclerophyll forests or the edges of rainforest.
Wild population	1,000-10,000 (1992) and decreacing (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	382 reported to ISIS

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 83 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Christian Schmidt

Why do zoos keep this animal

The Parma wallaby is a typical representative of the very popular Macropus genus and, therefore, is a good ambassador species for the Australian fauna. Being the smallest representative of the genus, it can be suitably kept for educational purposes even if space available is relatively limited.