Proserpine rock-wallaby
Common name: Proserpine rock-wallaby
Scientific name: Petrogale persephone (Petro = rock; gale = weasel; Persephone = Greek name for the Roman goddess Proserpine)
Animal group: Rock-wallaby
Conservation status:This species is listed as Endangered in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992).
Description:
Head-body length: 501-640mm (males); 526-630mm (females)
Tail length: 580-676mm (males); 515-624mm (females)
Weight: 5.6-8.8kg (males); 4.1-6.4kg (females)
The overall fur colour is light brown (grey in freshly moulted individuals) turning to yellow-brown on the outer limbs. Its hands and feet are black. The head has a white stripe running along upper lip and face to the level of the ear. The last third of the tail is black but usually ends in a white tip.
A good sign of their presence is the long, cylindrical droppings that accumulate around their day-time shelter sites.
It can be confused with the unadorned rock-wallaby (Petrogale inornata), which also has similar habitat preferences and distribution.
Habitat and distribution: The Proserpine rock-wallaby occurs near rocky outcrops and ledges in vine forest with a closed canopy. At night it can move into more open areas to feed.
It occurs in and around Dryander National Park, Conway National Park, Gloucester Island National Park, the Clarke Range west of Proserpine, parts of the Conway Range and around the township of Airlie Beach.
Life history and behaviour: These rock-wallabies are mostly nocturnal, resting in sheltered areas during the day. Observations show that leaves probably make up an important part of their diet. In drier periods they may also move to the forest edge to feed on grasses.
The Proserpine rock-wallaby has a 33-35 day gestation period and the young spend another 209 days in the pouch. After leaving the pouch it takes another 122 days before they are fully weaned. Females can also be pregnant with another partially developed embryo while they have a joey in the pouch. This allows them to reproduce quickly if conditions are suitable. This embryo only continues to development once the joey is just about to leave the pouch, and is usually born the same day that the pouch becomes empty.
Threatening processes: The Proserpine rock-wallaby's habitat has become fragmented from ongoing clearing. This has divided the population into small isolated colonies making them more vulnerable to local extinction from other disturbances. Predation by dogs, increased road kills and the spread of toxoplasmosis are all additional threats faced by this rock-wallaby.
Actions: As outlined in the Recovery Plan for the Proserpine Rock-wallaby 2000-2004, the key action is to protect its remaining habitat. In 1996, 1100ha was purchased and added to Dryander National Park (850ha was identified as suitable rock-wallaby habitat). Habitat protection on private land is also being encouraged as part of a community education program and a number of Nature Refuges containing rock-wallaby habitat have been declared on private land in recent years.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has a captive breeding program and captive bred rock-wallabies are being released back into the wild.
Roadside reflectors are also being used to deter rock-wallabies from crossing roads in areas where they have been significant numbers of road kills in the past.
Further information:
Johnson, P.M. (2003). Kangaroos of Queensland. Queensland Museum.
Nolan, B. and Johnson, P. (2001). Recovery plan for the Proserpine rock-wallaby Petrogale Persephone 2000-2004. Report to Envioronment Australia, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane.
Recovery Plan
Sharman, G.B, Maynes, G.M, Eldridge, M.D.B. and Close, R.L. (2002). Proserpine Rock-wallaby, in Strahan, R. (ed.), The Mammals of Australia. Reed New Holland.
Last updated: 02 September 2005