This lesson will tell you all about wallabies. You will learn what they are, where they live and what they look like. You will also explore what they eat and the predators and dangers they face.
What is a Wallaby?
When people think of Australian animals, kangaroos are probably one of the first animals to come to mind. But did you know there is another animal that hops and lives in Australia? We’re talking about the wallaby!Wallabies and kangaroos are both in the family of animals known as macropods, which means big feet.
Wallabies are like the smaller cousins to kangaroos. Just like them, wallabies are marsupials. This means that wallaby mothers carry their babies in a pouch and nurse them until they are old enough to live on their own.
Where do Wallabies Live?
Wallabies live all across Australia and on some of the nearby islands such as Tasmania. Wallabies can live in a wide variety of environments, such as rocky cliffs, forests, grasslands and swamps. Where a wallaby lives depends on what kind of wallaby it is; for example, a swamp wallaby lives only in the swamps.
What do Wallabies Look Like?
A cool fact about wallabies is that different species come in different colors and sizes. They can be shades of brown, red, gray or yellow, depending on where they live and what species they are.
The wallaby’s coat helps it hide from predators in the bushes, much like a rabbit’s coat does. Some wallabies are very small and weigh about four pounds, while bigger ones weigh about 50 pounds.Even though they can look very different from each other, all wallabies have certain traits that make them wallabies. Much like their larger cousins (kangaroos), wallabies hop on their back legs to get around. They have big feet and strong thighs to help them hop quickly away from danger.
Wallabies use their long tails to help them stay balanced when they hop. They may also strike with their tails to protect themselves from predators. Wallabies have short arms, or forelegs, which they use to groom and balance themselves with and hold branches as they eat.When you look at a wallaby’s head, something you might notice are their large ears. Wallabies need to be able to hear when predators are coming!
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