Northern nail-tail wallaby
Northern nail-tail wallaby | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Macropodidae |
Genus: | Onychogalea |
Species: | O. unguifera
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Binomial name | |
Onychogalea unguifera | |
The distribution of the northern nail-tail wallaby Data from The Atlas of Living Australia |
The northern or sandy nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera) is a species of
Like the other species of the genus, they retire for the day in a shallow depression, but if disturbed they flee rapidly to find refuge in a hollow tree or thicket. Unlike the rare
Taxonomy
The first description and a specimen of Onychogalea unguifera was presented by John Gould to the Linnean Society of London in 1840, published in its journal the following year, and assigned to the genus Macropus. The epithet of the species was derived from the Latin term for "claw", a reference to the broad fingernail-like covering at the end of the tail that is a characteristic of the genus and most evident in this species.[2]
Gould named this species and
A common name, nail-tailed kangaroo, was provided by Gould for the peculiar claw at the tip of the tail, noting the presence of only a rudimentary spur in its relations.[4] The name in the Walpiri language is kururrungu,[5] and a word in
Two subspecies are generally recognised,[8][9]
- Onychogalea unguifera unguifera from the northwestern part of its range;
- Onychogalea unguifera annulicauda, first described by Charles Walter De Vis in 1884 as a new species, based on a single specimen of an immature female, collected by Kendall Broadbent during an expedition around the Norman River at the Gulf of Carpentaria.[10][11]
Description
The largest of a small group of macropods, the genus
A hopping marsupial resembling the larger kangaroo species, the form of the body is light and elegant. The northern species is taller and heavier than other nailtails, but with limbs, tail and other features that are proportionally longer. They hop with their arms held in a stiff manner, so that these move in a circular motion, fleeing with their heads held low and long tail curled upward.[13][12] The curled posture of the tail, usual in macropods in motion, is exaggerated to nearly form a semi-circle.[7] The length of the head and body combined is 500 to 700 millimetres (20 to 28 in), exceeded by the tail measuring from 600 to 740 mm (24 to 29 in) and an average length of 650 mm (26 in). The standing height of the animal, from the ground to the crown of the head, is around 0.65 metres (2.1 ft), their weight ranges from 5 to 9 kilograms (11 to 20 lb). The colour of the
The utterance when fleeing an observer, described in the name wuluhwuluh, was noted by Knut Dahl as repeating a guttural sound "u-u-u".[7]
Behaviour
This marsupial is a nocturnal and usually solitary grazer and forager. The species is selective in its choice of the most palatable grasses or herbaceous and succulent plants, and is known to also consume some fruits.[1] They reside during the day beneath trees or shrubs in a shallow depression scraped into the sand. The species may seek to avoid discovery or seek refuge beneath a low shrubbery or by lying amongst some tall grass.[13]
The slow gait of O. unguifera has a characteristic usually associated with mid-sized to large species of Macropus and, like the pentapedal motion of the red kangaroo, uses all four limbs and the large tail to move forward in a "five-legged" manner. This form of locomotion has been attributed to variety of macropods, with contrary opinions on which actually use their large tails to pivot the hind legs forward, but video analysis of their movements confirms this species use of the unusual gait.[14]
A specimen captured in northern Queensland was successfully held in captivity, as a pet, at a Victorian garden in the early 20th century. The animal was friendly when active and recognised its custodian, who supplemented its forage with vegetation outside its enclosed area.[15]
Distribution and habitat
An endemic species of northern Australia that favours a diverse range of arid habitat and may be common at some locations in its broad distribution range. They occur in the northern parts of the continent, generally inland from the coastline, from the east at Cape York Peninsula, through the Top End and through the Kimberley region to the northwestern coast.[13] The areas occupied by Onychogalea unguifera are patchily distributed within the large range, sometimes locally common or abundant at favoured sites, and this has not known to have been greatly altered since the later 20th century.[1]
The habitat occupied by O. unguifera is most often areas dominated by
The red fox (
Native predators might include
The remains of O. unguifera, preserved as subfossils, have been found in the Grampians region of western Victoria.[18] Fossilised material located at a coastal site of the Montebello area, a sandplain now submerged by the sea, reveals the species once occupied areas south of the Kimberley.[19]
The northern nail-tail wallaby is reported to have been deliberately released at Wilsons Promontory in Victoria during 1924, in a misguided attempt to introduce the species to the area.[20]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Woinarski, J., Winter, J. & Burbidge, A. 2016. Onychogalea unguifera. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T40568A21958021. Downloaded on 08 July 2019.
- ^ a b Gould, J. (1841). "On five new species of kangaroo". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1840: 92–94.
- ^ Gould, J. (1841). A monograph of the Macropodidæ, or family of kangaroos]. The Author.
- ^ a b c Gould, John (1863). The mammals of Australia. Vol. 2. pp. pl.53 et seq.
- ^ "Onychogalea unguifera: Northern Nailtail Wallaby". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
- ^ Cutfield, S. (2016). "Common lexical semantics in Dalabon ethnobiological classification" (PDF). In Austin, P.K.; Koch, H.; Simpson, J. (eds.). Language, land & song: Studies in honour of Luise Hercus. London: EL Publishing. pp. 209–227.
- ^ a b c d Dahl, K. (1897). "Biological notes on north-Australian Mammalia". The Zoologist. 4. 1: 189–216 [209–210].
- ISBN 9781486300143.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ De Vis, C.W. (1884). "Notes on the fauna of the Gulf of Carpentaria". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 1: 154–160.
- ^ Gordon, G. (1981). "Northern Nailtail Wallaby". In Ronald Strahan (ed.). The Complete Book of Australian Mammals. Angus & Robertson. p. 204.
- ^ a b Thomas, O. (1888). Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 73, 74–75.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 9780195573954.
- S2CID 83579146.
- ^ Ward, Thomas; Fountain, Paul (1907). Rambles of an Australian naturalist. J. Murray.
- ISSN 0006-3207.
- .
- ^ Bird, P.R. (1981). "A New Macropod Species of the Grampians". The Victorian Naturalist. 98. Field Naturalists Club of Victoria.: 67.
- S2CID 146125030.
- ^ Seebeck, J.; Mansergh, I. (1998). "Mammals Introduced to Wilsons Promontory". The Victorian Naturalist. 115 (5). Field Naturalists Club of Victoria.