Animal of the Day!

Rufous Hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus)

(Photo from Australian Wildlife Conservancy)

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

Habitat- Northwestern Australia

Size (Weight/Length)- 2 kg; 30 cm

Diet- Seeds; Fruits; Leaves

Cool Facts- The rufous hare-wallaby, also known as the mala, are ancestral beings for the Aboriginal people of Australia and are tied tightly to their culture. These adorable macropods live in thick grasslands where they make shallow burrows with grass roofs to sleep the day away. During the summer, these burrows are dug deeper to escape the heat. Due to invasive species like foxes and feral cats along with multiple wildfires, the Rufous Hare-wallaby went extinct on mainland Australia. The mainland subspecies survived in captivity along with the Bernier and Dorre Island subspecies. In 2019, 30 individuals were reintroduced to mainland Australia in a gated and predator-free sanctuary. The predator-free island of Dirk Hartog Island has also become a sanctuary for the Rufous Hare-wallaby, allowing for their continued existence in the wild.

Rating- 12/10 (A teddy bear kangaroo.)