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Short-eared Rock Wallaby

Petrogale brachyotis

Description:

Short-eared Rock Wallabies "have ears that are not more than half the length of their heads, hence their name. The [fur] is uniform in color [on the back] and can have variable whitish margins. [Fur] color ranges from light grey and almost white in western populations to dark grey and brown in eastern populations. They have an extremely long, bushy, and thickly-haired tail which is used primarily for balancing. Short-eared rock wallabies have a well-padded hind foot, with the [black] sole being roughly granulated. This characteristic gives these animals a secure grip on rocky surfaces, which is their primary habitat." (http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Petr... ) Females have a pouch which is a distinct characteristic of marsupials (see pic 1 for a brief look at the stretched looking opening).

Habitat:

On the rocky cliff edges of Lake Argyle, East Kimberley (see pic 6). Lake Argyle "[and Lake] Kununurra Ramsar Site comprises an extensive system of artificial freshwater reservoirs, with their associated permanent wetlands, formed by damming the Ord River in the eastern part of the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia. The reservoirs include Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra. There are numerous endemic plants and a rich fauna. The 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) site was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 7 June 1990, making it Ramsar Site 478." (Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakes_Argy... )

Notes:

These pics were taken while kayaking on Lake Argyle. Very privileged to see two separate sightings of joeys! (see pics 2 and 5, pic 3 with a female).

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18 Comments

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 4 years ago

Thank you again Neil! And you are most welcome. It is always a privilege to see critters in their natural environment and I count myself very lucky. No, it did not exactly go to plan!

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 4 years ago

Thank you Zlatan! :)

Neil Ross
Neil Ross 4 years ago

A truly gorgeous spotting. Beautiful photos of these rare wallabies, and how exciting to see them in their natural habitat. Remarkable, and thanks for the notes too. It was definitely a good read. The Ord River scheme didn't exactly go to plan, did it!

Zlatan Celebic
Zlatan Celebic 4 years ago

wow - I almost can't believe I missed this spotting. Great series.

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 6 years ago

Thank you Rob! It was great seeing the females with the joeys :)

triggsturner
triggsturner 6 years ago

Belated congrats on your SOTD Liana. Great series. These guys are not always the easiest to see let alone photograph. Well done!

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

Thank you so much Neil! It is a pleasure to share this new species with you :)

Neil Ross
Neil Ross 7 years ago

Well done, Liana. This is an awesome series, and a species of wallaby I've not heard of before. Congrats on your SOTD.

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

Thanks heaps Felix! That means a lot :)

Felix Fleck
Felix Fleck 7 years ago

Great shots, Liana! Belated congrats.

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

Thank you Kostas!!!

KostasZontanos
KostasZontanos 7 years ago

Congratulations Liana!

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

Thank you Antonio! That means a lot :)

Great series Liana,congrats on the SOTD and thanks for sharing

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

Thank you Mark!!!

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 7 years ago

This was a wonderful surprise to wake up to! Thank you for choosing these beautiful Wallabies as SOTD!

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 7 years ago

Fabulous series and spotting. Congratulations.

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 7 years ago

Congratulations Liana, this beautiful series has earned you a Spotting of the Day!

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armadeus.4
Spotted by
armadeus.4

Western Australia, Australia

Spotted on Mar 10, 2017
Submitted on Mar 14, 2017

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