Crescent nail-tail wallaby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crescent nail-tail wallaby |
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| Illustration of male with female in background (Gould; Richter, 1863) | |
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The crescent nail-tail wallaby, also called the worong (Onychogalea lunata), was a small marsupial. It ate grasses in the woodlands and scrublands of southwestern and central Australia. These wallabies were common in Western Australia. But they disappeared there in the early 1900s. They lived in the central deserts until at least the 1950s.
Their fur was soft and silky. It was mostly ash-grey with some reddish-brown parts. They had light and dark patches of fur on their bodies. These patches looked like crescent moons, which gave them their name. They also had cool stripes on their faces.
Like other nail-tail wallabies, this one had a hard, claw-like spur at the end of its tail. The two other species are the northern nail-tail wallaby and the rare bridled nail-tail wallaby. People compared the crescent nail-tail wallaby to a hare or rabbit. This was because of how it looked, acted, and even tasted. It weighed about 3.5 kilograms (about 7.7 pounds).
This wallaby was very shy. If it was disturbed during the day, it would run into a hollow log. It usually rested on a small patch of sand near a big bush or tree. When it ran, its short front legs were held awkwardly close to its chest.
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What's in a Name?
The first description of this animal came from John Gould in 1840. He was a famous naturalist. He named the new species Macropus lunata. The name lunata comes from Latin. It means "of the moon," because of its crescent-shaped marks.
Later, Gould changed its name to Onychogalea lunata. This put it in a group with other "nail-tail" animals. People called it the "lunated nail-tailed kangaroo." Local Aboriginal people, the Nyungar, called it the "Waurong." Settlers sometimes called it the "kangaroo rabbit." This was because its soft fur and long ears looked like a rabbit's.
Aboriginal people in the central deserts had other names for it. These included "tjawalpa" and "warlpartu." The name "worong" or "wurrung" became common in southwest Australia.
What Did It Look Like?
The crescent nail-tail wallaby was one of three species of Onychogalea. They are all named for the claw-like tip on their tails. This wallaby had a clear whitish crescent mark. It went from its shoulder, behind its arm, and along its side. It ended in a point above its leg.
It also had a distinct stripe on its hind leg. This stripe went from its thigh to its hip and down to its knee. This wallaby was smaller than other nail-tail wallabies. It weighed about 3.5 kilograms. Its head and body together were 37 to 51 centimeters (14.5 to 20 inches) long. Its tail was 15 to 33 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) long.
Its upper fur was ash-grey. The light crescent marks broke up this color. It had a short, blackish crest of hair along the top of its tail. There was also a faint blackish mark on each side of its nose, reaching to its eye.
Its skull was light and flat at the forehead. Its teeth were small. The fur underneath was long and woolly. It was slate-grey at the base and lighter at the tips. Its nose was pointed. This was made more noticeable by the pretty light and dark marks on its face.
English settlers in southwest Australia hunted this wallaby for food. They said its meat was white, like chicken. They also said it tasted like rabbit.
How Did It Behave?
We don't know much about the habits of the crescent nail-tail wallaby. Most of what we know comes from a few observations. We also learned from Aboriginal people in the central deserts. Observers often said it was very shy. It would run away at the slightest sign of a human.
John Gilbert reported to John Gould in the 1840s:
"The Waurong lives in the eucalyptus woodlands of Western Australia. There are thick bushes and dense thickets there. It is sometimes seen sunning itself in the open areas. But at the slightest alarm, it quickly hides in the thick bushes. Dogs sometimes chase it out into the open. Then, like kangaroo rats, it runs to the nearest hollow log. It is then easy to catch. I noticed that when it was cleaning itself, its tail constantly twitched upwards. I have never seen any other kangaroo do this. I wasn't close enough to see if this tail movement was connected to the claw at its end, but I think it's possible. The Waurong does not build a nest. It makes a hollow in the soft ground under a thick bush. It lies there during the heat of the day."
Another settler, Bruce Leake, saw them hide in hollow trees. They would climb far inside to escape. When Noongar hunters chased them, they would light a fire at the base of the tree. The smoke would drive the wallaby out.
An old story from 1925 said they held one front leg as if carrying something. They always seemed to move quickly. Aboriginal people in the central deserts knew their behavior well. They could still share information about them 40 years after the last sighting.
The tracks of the crescent nail-tail wallaby were different from the northern nail-tail wallaby. The northern one had a strange way of walking. Hunters could catch crescent nail-tail wallabies by guiding them with brush fences. Then they would club them as they tried to escape.
Gilbert noted that they rested on their side in the open near the west coast. In the desert, they rested under the shade of a tree or bush. They would hide from predators in thickets or hollow logs.
Where Did It Live?
The crescent nail-tail wallaby used to live in many places across Australia. Its range went from the northwestern coast through central and southern regions. It even reached New South Wales. It lived in many types of dry and semi-dry areas. These places had different kinds of shrubs and woodlands.
It often lived in dense scrub or thickets. Common trees in its home included sheoak and stinkwood. Its resting place was a simple cleared spot, like a European hare's. They lived in such thick vegetation that hunters often didn't see them. They were sometimes found in the same places as the tammar wallaby, another similar marsupial.
This wallaby was once common, even abundant. But then its numbers quickly dropped. By the early 1900s, it was declining fast. Guy Shortridge, a collector from the British Museum, found 23 specimens in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. He noticed that many mammals reported before were now missing from coastal areas.
The last reliable sighting was in the 1940s. The species is now listed as presumed extinct. The last known specimen was caught in a dingo trap in 1927 or 1928. It was sent to Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The animal ended up at the Australian Museum.
The species survived in the drier parts of its range until the 1950s. It is thought to have become extinct around 1956. This was likely due to several reasons. These include habitat loss from farming and grazing. Also, new predators like the red fox played a big role. Some scientists also think a disease might have weakened them. This would have made them easier for predators to catch.
Images for kids
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Illustration of male with female in background (Gould; Richter, 1863)
See also
In Spanish: Canguro rabipelado occidental para niños
