Parma Wallaby

Parma wallabies originate from the forests of New South Wales, which is in the south-east corner of Australia, and are also known as white-throated wallabies. It is the smallest of the Macropus family, the largest being the red kangaroo which is 10 times the weight of the Parma wallaby.

Wallabies are mainly nocturnal, coming out in the late afternoon to graze on reedy grasses, herbaceous plants and shoots of young plants, and remaining active until early morning. During daytime they rest in clumps of bushes. Powerful tails are used for balance when hopping or grazing and large mobile ears give the wallaby an excellent sense of hearing.

Parma wallabies are often solitary with no social organisation. They communicate by stamping, quivering, and tail wagging, and through scent, which is important at mating times, and also vocally, by hissing, clucking, and coughing. They breed from March to July in the wild with a joey born into the pouch after a gestation of 35 days. The female can become pregnant again just two days after giving birth.The newly fertilised embryo will only partially develop and remain in stasis until the existing joey leaves the pouch at around 30 weeks. The elder baby will continue to feed by putting its head in the pouch allowing the new embryo to continue its development.