# Red-necked Wallaby (*Notamacropus rufogriseus*)

> The red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus) is a medium-sized marsupial of eastern Australia and Tasmania, named for the rusty-red fur across its neck and shoulders. Males weigh up to about 26 kg (57 lb), hop at around 40 km/h, and live roughly 9 years in the wild.

- **Category:** Mammal
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Eastern Australia from Queensland to Victoria, plus Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands; feral populations in New Zealand, Britain, and France.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-necked-wallaby/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Diprotodontia
- **Family:** Macropodidae
- **Genus:** Notamacropus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Notamacropus rufogriseus |
| Diet | Grasses, herbs, and leaves |
| Habitat | Eucalyptus forest, woodland, and coastal scrub of eastern Australia and Tasmania |
| Lifespan | Around 9 years in the wild; 15 or more in captivity |
| Weight | 11–26 kg (24–57 lb); males much heavier than females |
| Top speed | Around 40 km/h (25 mph) when hopping at full pace |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Physical description

This is one of the largest wallabies: big males can reach 26 kg and about 1.5 m from nose to tail tip. The coat is grizzled grey-fawn with the namesake reddish wash over the nape and shoulders, a pale cheek stripe, and a black nose and paws. Females are roughly two-thirds the male's weight.

## Behaviour

Red-necked wallabies are mainly solitary grazers, resting in shady forest by day and emerging at dusk to feed in clearings, though they gather loosely where grazing is good. Males establish dominance with upright 'boxing' bouts, balancing on the tail to kick — the classic macropod fighting stance.

## Diet

They feed mainly on grasses and herbs, cropping them close with sharp incisors, and browse leaves when grass is scarce. Like other kangaroos they ferment plant fibre in a large fore-stomach, which lets them extract moisture efficiently and survive dry spells with little drinking.

## Reproduction and the pouch

After a gestation of about 30 days, a jellybean-sized joey crawls unaided into the pouch, where it stays for seven to nine months. It continues to suckle as a 'footed joey' for months afterward, and mothers can pause the development of a spare embryo — embryonic diapause — until conditions or pouch space allow.

## Habitat and range

The species ranges along the Great Dividing Range from Queensland through New South Wales into Victoria, plus Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands, where the local form is known as Bennett's wallaby. Escaped and released animals have established feral populations in New Zealand, Britain, and France.

## Conservation

The red-necked wallaby is listed as Least Concern and is common across much of its range, sometimes so abundant that it is managed as a pasture pest. Foxes and domestic dogs take young wallabies, and road mortality is significant, but overall numbers are secure.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo?

Mostly size: wallabies are small to medium members of the kangaroo family (generally under about 25 kg), with more compact bodies and slightly different molar teeth suited to browsing as well as grazing.

### Where do red-necked wallabies live?

In the forests and woodlands of eastern Australia from Queensland to Victoria, and across Tasmania. Feral colonies also survive in New Zealand, England, Scotland, and France.

### Are there really wild wallabies in Britain?

Yes — several feral populations descended from zoo escapes and releases. The best-known colony lives on Inchconnachan island in Loch Lomond, Scotland, where they have bred since the 1940s.

### How long does a joey stay in the pouch?

About seven to nine months permanently inside the pouch, after which the young wallaby keeps suckling and sheltering for several more months before becoming independent.

### Are red-necked wallabies endangered?

No — they are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and are common, even abundant, in many parts of eastern Australia and Tasmania.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-necked-wallaby/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.