Yellow-footed rock-wallaby

Species of marsupial

The yellow footed rock wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus), formerly known as the ring tailed rock wallaby, is a member of the macropod family (the marsupial family that includes the kangaroos, wallabies, tree kangaroos, and wallaroos).

This species was first described by John Edward Grey in 1855 in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. The description was based on two specimens (a male and a female), which were possibly collected from the Richmond River. The illustration that accompanied the published description was produced by Joseph Wolf.

The yellow footed rock wallaby is grey to fawn grey above and light coloured below with a black mid dorsal stripe from the crown of the head to the centre of the back. There is a distinct white cheek stripe, with ears ranging in colour from orange to grey brown. The forearms and hind legs are bright yellow to rich orange to a light orange brown. The tail is orange brown irregularly ringed with dark brown and golden brown, with the colour of the tip variable from dark brown to white. The head and body length is 480–650 mm (usually 600 mm), with tail length 570–700 mm (usually 690 mm), and weight 6–11 kg.

Previously the species has been killed in large numbers for its pelt, primarily through the period between the 1880s and 1920s. in the Coturaundee Ranges, now part of Mutawintji National Park. The two small mountain ranges in the far west of the state are still the only known places where the species survives in New South Wales. In 1979, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife purchased 100 square kilometres of this land, which then became Coturaundee Nature Reserve, for the conservation and protection of the yellow footed rock wallaby.