Black wallaroo
| Black wallaroo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Macropodidae |
| Genus: | Macropus |
| Species: | M. bernardus |
| Binomial name | |
| Macropus bernardus Rothschild, 1904 | |
 | |
| black wallaroo range | |
The black wallaroo (Macropus bernardus), Bernard's wallaroo[1] or Woodward's wallaroo,[2] is a species of macropod restricted to a small, mountainous area in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, between South Alligator River and Nabarlek. It classified as near threatened, mostly due to its limited distribution.[3] A large proportion of the range is protected by Kakadu National Park.[1]
The black wallaroo is by far the smallest of the wallaroos as well as the most distinctive. It is sexually dimorphic, with the male being completely black or dark brown and the female a mid-grey colour. It is little known but is known to be a shy nocturnal grazer which does not gather in groups. It makes great use of the rocky escarpments where it lives to shelter and escape danger.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Woinarski, J. (2008). Macropus bernardus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as near threatened
- ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M, eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 64. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 118.