Thylogale stigmatica
Undeniably cute, these small furry relatives of kangaroos and wallabies are much less well-known than the larger macropods.
Open 7 Days from 9am to 4pm
They are the only ground-dwelling wallaby that lives in the rainforests of the Wet Tropics
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The word ‘pademelon’ comes from the word ‘badimaliya’n in Dharug, an Australian Aboriginal language spoken near what is now Port Jackson, New South Wales. It means ‘small kangaroo from the forest’.
Historically, First Nations people hunted pademelons for food and for their thick, fluffy fur.
The genus name ‘Thylogale’ uses the Greek words ‘thylakos’ meaning ‘ pouch’ and ‘galē’ meaning ‘weasel’. The species name ‘stigmatica’ is from the Latin meaning ‘marked’. Put it all together and you have a pouched animal that resembles a weasel with markings (patterns) on its fur!
This is not a weasel, but early European settlers often described the strange and wonderful animals that they encountered using names of animals familiar to them back home.
WHERE DO THEY LIVE?
Red-legged pademelons are found in scattered locations along the coast of Australia from the tip of Cape York Peninsula as far south as Tamworth in New South Wales. They also occur in lowlands of the very southern part of the island of New Guinea, near the Fly River.
They prefer rainforest, but also live in wet sclerophyll forest and vine thickets.
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
These are endearing little creatures with plump, furry bodies, round ears and a naked nose. The fur is grey-brown on their back, and cream on their belly. Those living in rainforests have darker fur than those living in open country. Red-brown markings on the cheeks, thighs and forearms give them their common name.
They have short front paws and, like all macropods, have large hind feet. The tail is thick and shorter than the body.
These are among the smallest macropods.
Males have head and body lengths ranging from 470 to 536 mm (18.5 to 21 inches). Their tails vary from 372 to 473 mm (14.5 to 18.5 in). A male’s weight ranges from 3.7 to 6.8 kg (8 to 15 lb).
Female pademelons are smaller than males with head and body lengths ranging from 386 to 520 mm (15 to 20 ½ in). Their tails can be between 301 to 445 mm (12 to 17 ½ in). Females weigh between 2.5 and 4.2 kg (5 ½ to 9 lb).
WHAT DO THEY EAT?
Red-legged pademelons eat fallen leaves and some fruit, especially Moreton Bay figs and Burdekin plums. They sometimes eat fresh leaves, ferns and grasses, and have been seen to munch on tree bark, fungi and cicadas.
While foraging in the forest, individuals remain separated by a distance of several metres, but gather more closely together at night when feeding at the forest edge. By spreading out to feed, they can watch for predators over a larger area. If a predator is spotted, they give a warning thump with their hind legs, and then flee quickly into the shelter of the forest along well-worn trails.
They are active throughout the day and night, but less so during late afternoon and around midnight.
Fun Fact: When resting, pademelons lean against a rock or tree with their tail between their legs, sitting on the base of their tail. When they fall asleep, they lean forward so their head is resting on their tail or on the ground beside them.
BREEDING AND RAISING THE YOUNG
When courting a female, males make a soft clucking sound. If she isn’t interested, she rejects him with a harsh rasping sound. Males fight over females, and may mate with more than one female in a season.
Births occur between October and June. The gestation period is just 28 days; the tiny, blind joey makes its way into the pouch and attaches to one of the two teats. A few hours later the female will mate again, but the embryo may go into a state of diapause.
The developing joey remains in the pouch for about 6 months. It continues to suckle from one teat, but meanwhile a second joey may have been born and attach to the other teat!
Fun Fact: Lactating females can produce two types of milk— low fat milk with high carbohydrates and easily digested proteins for the newborn joey, and high energy milk with more fat and less carbohydrate for emerging, more active joeys!
When the joey begins to venture from the pouch, the mother calls to it with a soft, clucking sound as she teaches it what to eat and where to forage. Joeys are fully weaned about 2 ½ months after leaving the pouch.
Females become sexually mature at about 48 weeks, and males at about 66 weeks.
Average lifespan in the wild is just under 10 years.
STATUS IN THE WILD
The red-legged pademelon is listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List; however in New South Wales they are considered ‘Vulnerable’.
Forest clearing reduces the available habitat, but they are adapted to forage in nearby open pastures. Their distribution is discontinuous where there isn’t enough vegetation to provide cover.
The main predators are dingoes, tiger quolls, amethystine pythons and domestic dogs.
Red-legged pademelons are an important component of their ecosystems, and an important ecotourism attraction.
RED-LEGGED PADEMELONS AT BILLABONG SANCTUARY
We invite you into the Macropod Yard where you can meet our red-legged pademelons (along with some beautiful red kangaroos).
They enjoy a varied diet, including breeder pellets, chaff, sweet potato, carrot, apple, corn cobs, mushrooms, lucerne hay and fresh-cut grass!
We have had good breeding success, with some joeys hand-raised by our rangers. They will hop readily up to greet visitors, and may eat from the seed bag (available in the shop).
Further Reading
The Mammals of Australia. Ronald Strahan ed. Australian Museum, Reed New Holland 1995
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Thylogale_stigmatica/
Atlas of Living Australia: https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/feec341c-18c4-40fa-b496-5755793fe9a6
