Mammals · Diprotodontia · Macropodidae

Red-legged Pademelon

Thylogale stigmatica

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The red-legged pademelon is a small, stocky macropod of north-eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It lives in dense forest understorey, where it opens and maintains a network of tunnels through the undergrowth along which it moves at speed. It comes out at dusk to graze in clearings and along forest edges and returns to cover at dawn. Its name comes from the reddish tone of its legs and flanks.

Weight

2.5 kg – 7 kg

Size

38 cm – 58 cm

Lifespan

9 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

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestHerbivore Nocturnal Solitary Rainforest Temperate forest Mammal

3countries 5parks15same family

Fun facts

It thumps the ground with its hind feet as an alarm signal, a dull thump that alerts the other pademelons in the area and that guides in the Australian rainforest recognise at once.
It maintains its own tunnels through the thickest undergrowth: corridors worn open by constant use, along which it can flee at full speed while a dog or a dingo gets stuck in the tangle.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Dense understorey of tropical rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest in north-eastern Australia and New Guinea
Sexual maturity: 11.1 months
Gestation / incubation: 29 days
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/