Eastern Wallaroo

The Eastern Wallaroo (Macropus robustus robustus) also known as the Common Wallaroo or the Hill Wallaroo is part of the Wallaroo family (Macropus robustus). It is a large, variable species of macropod (same as the Kangaroo).

Many mistakenly believe that the Eastern Wallaroo and the Euro the same species, but they are actually two distinct sub-species. The Eastern Wallaroo (Macropus robustus robustus)- which is grey in colour - occupies the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and the Euro (Macropus robustus erubescens) - rufous in colour - occupies land westward.

The photograph at right is a Euro.

The Eastern Wallaroo is mostly nocturnal and solitary, and is one of the more common macropods. It makes a loud hissing noise and some subspecies are sexually dimorphic, like most wallaroos.^[3]

There are four subspecies of the Wallaroo:^[1]

• M. r. robustus - Found in eastern Australia, males of this subspecies have dark fur, almost resembling Woodward's Wallaroo (Macropus bernardus). Females are lighter, being almost sandy in colour.^[3]
• M. r. erubescens - Found on covering most of its remaining range, this subspecies is variable, but mostly brownish in colour.^[3]
• M. r. isabellinus - This subspecies is restricted to Barrow Island in Western Australia, and is comparatively small. It is uniformly reddish brown.^[3]
• M. r. woodwardi - This subspecies is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and in a band running through Northern Territory. It is the palest subspecies and is a dull brown-grey colour.^[3]

The Eastern Wallaroo as a species is not considered to be threatened, but the Barrow Island subspecies (M. r. isabellinus) is classified as vulnerable.^[2]

References

External links

• Animal Diversity Web
• Sedgwick County Zoo on Wallaroos
• Photos at ARKive.
• Fourth Crossing Wildlife - The Wallaroo and the Euro