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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.