Mammals · Diprotodontia · Macropodidae
Rufous Hare-wallaby
Lagorchestes hirsutus
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
The rufous hare-wallaby, also called the western hare-wallaby or mala, is a small marsupial mammal of the family Macropodidae that lives in Australia. It was formerly distributed across the whole western half of the Australian continent but is now confined to a few islands such as Bernier Island, Dorre Island and other small islands off Western Australia. It is currently classified as a vulnerable species, and there are programmes to reintroduce it to the mainland, in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory.
Weight
800 g – 2 kg
Size
31 cm – 39 cm
Lifespan
6 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- It became extinct on the Australian mainland and survived only on two remote islands: the last mainland populations, in the Tanami Desert, disappeared in the mid-1990s.
- It digs shallow tunnels under the spinifex clumps and, when surprised, shoots off in a zigzag with bounds of more than two metres despite its tiny size.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Spinifex scrub and sand dunes of the arid Australian interior
- Sexual maturity
- 10.8 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 28 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagorchestes_hirsutus
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Rufous Hare-wallaby — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Red Kangaroo
Osphranter rufus
Bridled Nailtail Wallaby
Onychogalea fraenata
Dingo
Canis lupus dingo
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
Petrogale penicillata
Quokka
Setonix brachyurus
Red-necked Wallaby
Notamacropus rufogriseus
How to help
The rufous hare-wallaby is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
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