Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Rufous hare wallaby

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Infraclass
  
Marsupialia

Family
  
Macropodidae

Scientific name
  
Lagorchestes hirsutus

Rank
  
Species

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Diprotodontia

Genus
  
Lagorchestes

Higher classification
  
Lagorchestes

Rufous hare-wallaby wwwarkiveorgmediaE242DE0909014F98888A2B4AB

Similar
  
Lagorchestes, Banded hare‑wallaby, Spectacled hare‑wallaby, Nail‑tail wallaby, Bridled nail‑tail wallaby

Mala on the move meet the endangered rufous hare wallaby


The rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent but is now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Island Islands off Western Australia. It is currently classified as vulnerable.

Contents

Rufous hare-wallaby Australian Wildlife Conservancy

The rufous hare-wallaby has rufous-grey fur and is the smallest hare-wallaby. It is a solitary nocturnal herbivore that feeds on herbs, leaves and seeds. It is currently being reintroduced to mainland Australia, notably in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory.

Rufous hare-wallaby Mala Rufous Harewallaby The species is now extinct in t Flickr

The species was first described by John Gould (1844) in The Mammals of Australia.

Four distinct subpopulations of this species have been described as subspecies, especially with regard to their conservation status. Estimates of these island colonies numbers were between 4,300 and 6,700 in 1994, the environmental conditions cause fluctuations in the total number of animals.

Rufous hare-wallaby Animal Info Rufous Hare Wallaby

  • Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus, an extinct group that was restricted to mainland Southwest Australia. This was the type used in the first description of the species by John Gould in 1844, the specimens were collected near York, Western Australia.

    • Rufous hare-wallaby Rufous hare wallaby photo Lagorchestes hirsutus G125635 ARKive

    Two possible subspecies are found in range restricted to islands near Western Australia.

  • Lagorchestes hirsutus bernieri is only found at Bernier Island. This name has priority if not distinct from subspecies:
  • Lagorchestes hirsutus dorreae is only found at Dorre Island.

    • Rufous hare-wallaby Mala or Rufous Hare Wallaby Lagorchestes hirsutus Centr Flickr

    The fourth is an unnamed subspecies that has been conserved by relocation.

  • Lagorchestes hirsutus ssp. was originally discovered in the Tanami Desert, and was once widespread across the arid centre of Australia. The only existing members of this group have been translocated to several sites in Western Australia as captive colonies. These are at the Dryandra Conservation Reserve, Shark Bay and Trimouille Island. The colony on the latter is estimated to be over 100 individuals.

    • Rufous hare-wallaby Rufous hare wallaby photo Lagorchestes hirsutus G8421 ARKive

    Mammals of the world rufous hare wallaby


    Significance in Anangu (aboriginal) culture

    For the Anangu, or Aboriginal people, the Mala or 'hare wallaby people' are important ancestral beings. For tens of thousands of years, the Mala have watched over them from rocks and caves and walls, guiding them on their relationships with people, plants and animals, rules for living and caring for country. Mala Tjukurpa, the Mala Law, is central to their living culture and celebrated in story, song, dance and ceremony.

    References

    Rufous hare-wallaby Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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