Байланыстырған тырнақты қаңбақша (Onychogalea fraenata)

Species of marsupial

The bridled nail tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata), also known as the bridled nail tailed wallaby, bridled nailtail wallaby, bridled wallaby, merrin, and flashjack, is a vulnerable species of macropod. It is a small wallaby found in three isolated areas in Queensland, Australia, and whose population is declining. In early 2019 the total population of the species was estimated to be fewer than 500 mature individuals in the wild and 2285 in captivity.

A specimen was presented to the Linnean Society of London by John Gould in 1840, and published in the society's journal the following year. Gould obtained his specimens while in Australia, returning these to England for scientific examination; he gave the animal the common name bridled kangaroo. The "nail tail" is a feature common to two other species of wallabies: the northern nail tail wallaby and the crescent nail tail wallaby (which was declared to be extinct in 1956). The taste of the meat of this species was described by Gould as excellent.

The species are most active during the night time After a gestation period of about 23 days, the single joey undergoes further development in the mother's pouch for around four more months. The bridled nail tail wallaby's defence behaviour when threatened by native predators is usually to lie flat on the ground and find some cover. However, in 2021 it was observed that in response to introduced predators such as feral cats and foxes, it had altered its behaviour and had learnt to hide in response to smelling the predator. viruses and various diseases more readily than other marsupials". As of 2019, the species was confined three populations: Taunton and Avocet in Queensland, and Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Scotia Sanctuary in New South Wales, where there were more than 1,000 wallabies in 2018. At Taunton Conservation Park, a total of 65 of the wallabies were recorded in 2008, but by early 2021, the population had risen to an estimated 1,300.