Fauna, OM-1, Photography

Grass munching hoppers

(8 photos) – Pademelons are small, compact, short-tailed wallabies that typically inhabit wet sclerophyll and rainforests from Tasmania to New Guinea.

Pademelon ​(rufous-bellied) – Thylogale billardierii

They have remained common over much of their geographic range but the Tasmanian Pademelon was once found in south-eastern South Australia and Victoria.

The Tasmanian Pademelon is the largest of the three species of Pademelons in Australia, reasonably stocky in appearance, with males to 12 kg (average 7.0 kg) and females to 10 kg (average 3.9 kg).  The long fur is thick and soft indicative of the cool temperate climate of Tasmania.

The larger Bennetts Wallaby (below) is a subspecies of the Red-necked Wallaby found on the Australian mainland. It usually grows 70-90 cm tall, but may reach up to 1.5 metres, and averages 14kg (females) to 19kg (males). The Tasmanian form is a little darker with longer and denser fur than its mainland cousin. It is slightly smaller in overall size, but heavier on average.

Bennetts (red-necked) wallaby – Notamacropus rufogriseus

Bennetts Wallabies are mostly nocturnal, but may also be seen grazing in the late afternoon. They are fleet of foot and very agile, even over rocky, steep or timber-strewn terrain.

Wascally Wabbit

European Rabbits arrived in Australia on the First Fleet in 1788 but these rabbits were domesticated and did not spread around Sydney. Rabbits were introduced to Tasmania in the 1820s. The first feral populations were recorded in 1827 in south-eastern Tasmania.

Rabbits compete with native species for food and shelter, as well as changing native plant community composition and degrading land. Classified as vermin in Tasmania, they are recognised as Australia’s most widespread and destructive environmental and agricultural pest.

Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoyed some of our local furry friends and learnt something new. These images were taken around my home 😀

Published by

TasView (Tone)

Tone Bacon - Tasmanian photographer. tasview.com

37 thoughts on “Grass munching hoppers”

    1. Thanks Mark, they are pretty friendly, though cautious, They used to be hunted casually but since gun control laws here their population has exploded in the last decade. Their only real predator are loose dogs … and cars!

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    1. Your not wrong John! In the past they released two rabbit virus’ here but it’s too cold for the virus to survive through winter. Worked for a few years but they are back! While I have a compound bow, it’s illegal to shoot them with it here, or trap/snare them – yeah I know.

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      1. Well that’s ridiculous, Tone! They are a known problem, and vermin but the public can’t help control the population? Crazy! Is all of Tasmania very cold? Do you have hot summer weather?

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      2. It’s the same with introduced fellow deer, they were actually protected and now are causing absolute havoc! Now there is a hunting season but you still can’t sell the meat – ridiculous.

        It’s colder up in the highlands than it is on the coast. The East Coast is the warmest and prettiest with unspoilt white sandy beaches, the West Coast is rocky, rugged and usually windy and storm battered – it’s very diverse for a relatively small island. We have wonderful long warm days during summer.

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      3. So you can have different weather in the same day by driving across the island then? That’s like here with our huge mountain ranges.

        In winter, people drive up there and ski at the lodge, complete with chairlifts. The, drive back down to the city where it’s jacket and short pants weather.

        In summer, it’s a great way to escape the 100+ degree temps. It’s ridiculous that the meat can’t be sold! Why?

        I grew up around deer hunting since I was a wee boy and have seen a few deer being gutted after the kill. My dad always donates the meat to those in need.

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      4. We often get four seasons in one day just in Hobart – it’s usually wise to take a coat – just in case, even on a sunny day.
        Feral animals and the overpopulation of wallaby are such a wasted resource for reasons beyond my understanding. I love venison, so much flavour over beef. Wallaby meat is very lean and healthy – and one of the most environmentally friendly meats you could eat – as they belong here and have soft feet, not hard hooves to compact the ground. When left unchecked as they are now, the population explodes, they eat everything and then starve. I was brought up shooting and fishing, surely it is possible to have a sensible and sustainable balance.

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      5. Absolutely there is a balance somewhere, the government needs to get with the times! I never thought about eating Wallaby!

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    1. Thanks Belinda, my neighbour put high wallaby proof fences around his house, uses a possum scarer, but now has at least two wild black rabbits hopping about inside his perimeter! There is no winning :/

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      2. Thanks Anneli – and I did 🙂
        My daughter in Canada saw her first bear today! It ran off.
        My story is she single handedly chased it away and saved the eight teenagers she’s charged with looking after.
        I told her if one chases them, to trip one of the kids up so it doesn’t get her (jokes).
        Not nearly as scary as the Aussie drop bear though …

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  9. The highlight of our camping trip around Tassie was the wildlife. When one sat quietly Pademelons would wander through our campsite and the sound of Tasmanian Devils fighting outside out tent was unnerving to say the least! Thank you for sharing. Lynn

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    1. I’m glad my post brought back fond memories for you, it’s been quite some time since I’ve been camping, we used to take the kids when they were little, good times – unless you camped near some native hens, then it was a rather loud and early morning start!

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    1. Thanks, I have heard of Marmots but had to Google them – angry looking beavers was my impression! They are probably closer to our possums who like to make weird angry noises at night, though are generally harmless unless provoked.

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      2. Our brush tailed possums are different to your opossums. I just read the Wikipedia listing for Marmots, now I get it, basically big squirrels. Google images wasn’t very fair to them. They are cute!

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    1. Thanks for visiting and the comment. I like you blog, very informative and interesting but was unable to follow on my PC, the usual link wouldn’t pop up :/

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