Download Petrogale penicillata - profile (PDF 560 KB)

THREATENED SPECIES INFORMATION
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
Warrumbungles Endangered Population
Petrogale penicillata (Gray, 1825)
Other common name(s) None
Conservation status
Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies in the
Warrumbungle Ranges were thought to be
extinct until their re-discovery in 1993 (Wong
1999). The population in the Warrumbungle
Ranges is now listed as Endangered on
Schedule 1, part 2 of the Threatened Species
Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). In the
remainder of NSW, the Brush-tailed Rock
Wallaby is listed as an Endangered Species on
Schedule 1 of the TSC Act.
Description (summarised from Eldridge &
Close 1995)
Head and Body Length
529-586 (557)mm (males)
510-570 (536)mm (females)
Tail Length
510-700 (611)mm (males)
500-630 (563)mm (females)
Weight
5.5-10.9 (7.9)kg (males)
4.9-8.2 (6.3)kg (females)
1999). In the remainder of Australia, the
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby occurs in south-east
Queensland and in an isolated population in
Victoria (Eldridge & Close 1995).
bitat
The Warrumbungles Endangered Population
of the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby inhabits
steep, rugged, rocky sites. Vegetation on these
rocky sites generally consists of low shrubs,
figs and grasses (Moss et al 1997). Adjacent
foraging habitat varies from Spinifex grassland
to Acacia woodland with a grassy understorey
and Cyprus Pine and Ironbark woodland with
a shrubby understorey (Moss et al 1997).
Elsewhere in NSW, the Brush-tailed Rock
Wallaby occurs in a variety of habitats, ranging
from rainforest to sclerophyll forest and open
woodland (Eldridge & Close 1995).
The Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
has brown fur above, merging into
rufous on the rump and grey on
the shoulders. The fur on the
underside is pale to white.
Distinguishing features are the
prominent brush-tail, pale cheek
stripe and black stripe from the
forehead to back of head. The tail,
feet and paws are dark brown to
black.
istribution
The Endangered Population of the
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby occurs
within
and
outside
of
Warrumbungle National Park, to
the west of Coonabarabran.
Elsewhere in NSW, this species
has a fragmented distribution on
the coast and ranges from the
Queensland border to the south
coast. It is very rare in the southern
and western parts of its distribution
(Dovey et al. 1997) and to the west
of the Great Dividing Range, only
the
population
in
the
Warrumbungles remains (Wong
E Holland/NPWS
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
x
Y
#
Y
#
Tiboob urra
Y
#
Bourke
r
$
$
$
r$$$ $
$r
$
$
$
$$$
$$$$
$$
r
r
r #Y Lismore
$
$
$
$$$
$
$
$
$$$
$$
$
Y
#
$$ $
$$ $ $ Grafton
$
$$
$
r
$
r $
$
$
$$
$$
$ $
Moree
r
$r
rr
Y
#
$$$$$
r
$$
Tamworth
r
$$$
$$$
Y
#
$
r
Y
#
r
Broken Hill
Y
#
$
$
r
$
$ $$ $
$ $$
$$ $
$$
$
$$
$ #Y Newcast le
$$$
$
$
$ $$$$$
$
$r
$
$ $$$$$
$
r$ $$
$$r
$
$
$ $
r
Y
#
$r
Sydn ey
$
W
$
Y
#
Dub bo
$
r
r
$
r
Y
#
Griffith
$
Y
#
Port Macquarie
r
$
$
r
r
$
r
r
$
r
$$
N
E
Wollongong
S
$
Wag ga Wagga
r
$
The sig htin gs rep resen ted on th is m ap are
only ind icative. They can not b e considered
as a com prehen sive in vent ory an d m ay
cont ain errors an d omission s.
LEGEND
r
$
Brush-tail ed Rock wall aby
pre 1980 sightings
Brush-tail ed Rock Wall aby
post 1980 sightings
Roads
Rivers
Y
#
r$
Bega
Map Compiled From :
Species Sightings from the NPWS Atlas of NSW Wil dlife Database
Roads and Riv ers data from AUSLIG
Copyright NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, December 1999
This map is not guaranteed to be free from error or om ission
The NSW National Parks and Wil dlife Service and its employees
discl aim l iabil ity for any act done or om ission made on the
information in the map and any consequences of such acts or omissions
50
0
50
100 Kilometers
NPWS records of the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby in NSW
Areas supporting complex rocky outcrops with
numerous ledges, caves, overhangs and
crevices are preferred as these provide a variety
of shelter and rest sites (Short 1982; Eldridge
& Close 1995; Moss et al. 1999). Sunny, northfacing sites are also preferred (Short 1982).
Ecology
Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies occur in small
groups or ‘colonies’each usually separated by
hundreds of metres (Jarman & Bayne, 1997).
A total of seven colonies make up the
Warrumbungles population, each colony
consisting of five to six individuals (NSW
Scientific Committee).
Each colony uses a number of different rocky
outcrops or ‘refuges’(Jarman & Bayne, 1997).
Refuges are generally caves or crevices among
large boulders, but dense vegetation, in
particular large Figs, are also used for shelter
(Jarman & Bayne 1997). Within a colony,
individual wallabies may share a single refuge
site, except for adult males which behave
aggressively when in contact with each other
(Jarman & Bayne 1997). Individual animals
often use the same refuge over a period of time
(Jarman & Bayne 1997). This small wallaby
is particularly agile and is able to escape
predators on steep cliffs (Short 1982) and in
the lower branches of trees (Jarman & Bayne
1997).
Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies remain in the
shelter and safety of refuges for much of the
day, emerging to feed during the evening,
usually within 200m of the refuge site (Jarman
& Bayne 1997). This species feeds
predominantly on grasses and forbs and the
foliage of shrubs and trees (Short, 1989). Seeds
and fruits are eaten on a seasonal basis (Short,
THREATENED SPECIES INFORMATION
1989). The wide variety of food taken by Brushtailed Rock Wallabies may increase their ability
to cope with drought and competition from
other more specialised grazers (Short 1989).
Each adult male aggressively defends an area
encompassing the refuge sites of up to 3 females
(Jarman & Bayne 1997). Juvenile males
disperse to a vacant area within the colony or
leave the colony completely. Juvenile females
either disperse or remain and breed in their
natal colony.
Threats
Threats
• Predation by foxes, feral cats and wild dogs
(Miller & Moss 1997; Lunney et al. 1997)
• Competition for food and shelter resources
with introduced herbivores, in particular
goats (Miller & Moss 1997; Lunney et al.
1997)
• Degradation of habitat due to introduced
herbivores, weed invasion and
inappropriate fire regimes (Miller & Moss
1997)
• Clearing for agricultural development
resulting in the loss and fragmentation of
habitat (Miller & Moss 1997; Lunney et
al. 1997)
• Historically, extensive hunting for the fur
trade and shooting as agricultural pests
caused substantial declines in numbers and
distribution (Eldridge & Close 1995;
Lunney et al. 1997)
Management
• Protection of known or potential habitat
and creation of habitat links
• Control of feral predators and feral
herbivores
• Community education and involvement in
surveys, feral animal control and
conservation
• Alteration of prescribed burning regimes
to ensure the enhancement and
maintenance of known or potential habitats
• Research, survey and monitoring of
populations.
Recovery plansRecovery Plans
A recovery plan for the Warrumbungles
Endangered Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
population has been completed.
For Further Information contact
References
Dovey L., Wong V. and Bayne P. 1997. An overview of the status and management of rock-wallabies
(Petrogale) in New South Wales. Australian Mammalogy 19: 163 – 168.
Eldridge M.D.B. and Close R. 1995. Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata (Gray, 1925)
in R. Strahan. The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books, Chatswood.
Lunney D., Law B. and Rummery C. 1997. An ecological interpretation of the historical decline of
the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata in New South Wales. Australian Mammalogy
19: 281 – 296.
Miller A.L. and Moss G.L. 1997. Population Management Plan for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
(Petrogale penicillata) in the Warrumbungle National Park. Unpublished Report to the NSW
National Parks & Wildlife Service.
Moss G., Taylor D. and Miller A. 1997. Implementation of a monitoring program for the Brushtailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) at the Warrumbungle National Park: Preliminary results and recommendations. Unpublished Report to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.
Moss G., Miller A., Taylor D. and Gracie, J. 1999. The Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale
penicillata) in the Warrumbungles: colony status based upon scat abundance. Unpublished Report
to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.
NPWS. 1999. Atlas of NSW Wildlife. NPWS, Hurstville.
NSW Scientific Committee. 1997. Final Determination.
Short J. 1982. Habitat requirements of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Petrogale penicillata, in New
South Wales. Aust. Wildl. Res. 9: 239–46.
Short J. 1989. The diet of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby in New South Wales. Aust. Wildl. Res. 16:
11–18.
Wong V. 1999. Attachment 6: Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies out west – a very brief overview of what’s
happening with the Warrumbungles population for the April 1999 Workshop. In Cavanagh, M.
(ed). Report of the Brush-tail Rock-wallaby Recovery Planning Workshop. NSW National Parks
& Wildlife Service, Hurstville.
For further information contact
Threatened Species Unit, Western Directorate, Phone 02 6886 5330.
General Enquiries: 43 Bridge St Hurstville NSW 2220 Phone 1300 361 967 or 02 9585 6333
Web site www.npws.nsw.gov.au
Important Disclaimer
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the NSW National Parks and
Wildlife Service disclaims any responsibility or liability in relation to anything done or not done by anyone in reliance upon the
publication’s content. Last amended 4 July 2003.