red-necked wallabies
Red-necked wallabies are the only species of marsupial known to be at large in the British countryside. They are not native to Britain but were introduced from Australia in about 1940. Red-necked wallabies have greyish-brown fur and, as their name suggests, they have red patches on their shoulders.
They stand on their powerful hind limbs and support themselves with their strong black-tipped, silver-grey tail. Their ears, feet and muzzle also have black tips. Wallabies are usually solitary creatures that become especially active at dusk and during the night. They are not territorial and do not make dens, but during the day they simply lie under cover in thick vegetation.
They are generally secretive animals, which lead quiet lives and are sensitive to intrusion. If they sense danger, they slap their feet on the ground to warn others nearby.
Breeding Females can breed from the age of one. A single young is generally born during the summer and only emerges from the mother’s pouch in May or June the following year.
Diet Mostly heather but also bracken, bilberries and grasses.
Habitat Generally woodland and scrub, but feed out in the open, for example, on heather moorland.
Predators & threats They have no natural predators in the UK, but the young are sometimes killed by dogs or foxes. Like many other mammals, they are sometimes the victims of road accidents.
Status & distribution The red-necked wallaby is an introduced species which only has a patchy distribution in the UK. Small colonies are found in the Peak District in England and near Loch Lomond in Scotland, and a large colony roams freely at Whipsnade Zoo.
Did you know? Wallabies generally lie still to avoid detection but, if they are startled, they panic and have been known to jump off cliffs or in front of cars in an attempt to get away!