Black striped wallaby
Information below is from Lynda Stakers book " Don't step backwards" ( with permission )
Little seems to be known about them, because of their preference to stay well hidden, although many tend to get hit by traffic on roads, resulting in
the
wildlife carer raising orphans. Being a very small wallaby, the joeys often come in injured from the dead mum’s pouches.
The black stripe down the back of these wallabies gives them their name, but they are often confused with the Red-Necked wallaby, because they
also have
the red shoulders, but the Red-Necked wallaby does not have the black stripe.
Blacked-Stripes are social macropods, although, as with most other species, the females will not tolerate other’s joeys. When alarmed, a group of
up
to 20 individuals will race off in the one direction, rather than separately as do the antisocial macropods.
The gestation period is around 33-35 days, and joeys stay in pouch for up to 7 months. Sexual maturity in the male occurs at about 14 months and the
female
much later at about 20 months of age.
One of the most unforgettable traits of the Black-Striped is their hunched over stance, which makes them look ‘ill’, they usually take this stance when
they are sunning themselves, and have their eyes half closed. They also spread their arms out wide away from their body, when taking off in fright,
which
looks as though they are trying to fly.
When raised in captivity, these little wallabies can become quite jealous of other joeys, and show their annoyance by biting either the carer or the
other joey.
Blacked-Striped joeys should be raised with other joeys, preferably of their own kind, and released together, as they tend to stay in groups once
released.
They have an unusual smell, not unlike dirty old socks, and do not tend to get many ticks. Their fur is soft, much like rabbit fur.
Information below is from Lynda Stakers book " Don't step backwards" ( with permission )
