Rufous-bellied pademelon, Red-bellied pademelon
The Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii ), also known as the rufous-bellied pademelon or red-bellied pademelon, is the sole species of pademelon found in Tasmania, and was formerly found throughout southeastern Australia. This pademelon has developed heavier and bushier fur than its northern relatives, which inhabit northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The scientific name honours J.J.H. Labillardier, who collected the first specimen on an expedition to what was then Van Diemen's Land in 1792. There are no recognised subspecies.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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JumpingJumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withTasmanian pademelons are short stocky marsupials. They have soft dark brown to grey brown fur on the back, and reddish brown or lighter brown fur on stomach. Tasmanian pademelons have a short tail and compact body. This is very useful for maneuvering through dense vegetation. The males in this species are larger than females.
Tasmanian pademelons are found in Tasmania and were formerly found throughout south-eastern Australia. These animals inhabit areas of dense vegetation, rainforest, sclerophyll forest, and scrubland. They also prefer wet gullies in dry open eucalyptus forest.
Tasmanian pademelons are solitary and nocturnal. They spend the daylight hours in thick vegetation. After dusk, the animals move onto open areas to feed, but rarely stray more than 100 metres from the forest edge. Tasmanian pademelons travel to a feeding spot each evening at dusk and in the morning they return to their homes. As many as 10 pademelons may come together for feeding but they scatter immediately when they sense danger.
Tasmanian pademelons are herbivores. They feed on a wide variety of plants, herbs, green shoots, and grass. They also consume some nectar-bearing flowers.
Tasmanian pademelons are polygynandrous (promiscuous). It means that both males and females have multiple mates. There is no specific breeding season, though 70% of pademelon births seem to occur around the beginning of winter. The gestation period lasts 30 days after which a single joey is born and makes its way into the pouch immediately. The newborn baby stays in the pouch for about 6 months and is weaned at around 8 months. Tasmanian pademelons become reproductively mature at 14-15 months of age.
There are no major threats to Tasmanian pademelons; howeve in parts of their range, these animals are considered to be a pest species of agricultural crops. Even so, they are abundant to the point of being culled occasionally (along with other wallabies) to reduce competition for grass with the farmed animals. Hunting of the Tasmanian pademelon is allowed, its pelt having some economic value and its meat being palatable.
The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Tasmanian pademelon total population size, but this animal is common and abundant throughout its known range. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
