Bridled nailtail wallaby
Bridled nailtail wallaby
(Onychogalea fraenata) Photo: EPA Common name: Bridled nailtail wallaby
Other names: Flashjack, merrin, waistcoat wallaby
Scientific name: Onychogalea fraenata (Gr. onyx = nail, gale = weasel, L. fraenum = bridle)
Animal group: Wallabies, kangaroos and tree-kangaroos
Conservation status: This species is listed as Endangered in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992) and nationally (Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Description: The bridled nailtail wallaby is a small wallaby with males weighing an average of 5-6kg and females 4-5kg. It is grey to light tan in colour with a distinct white line forming a “bridle” from the back of the neck to behind the forelimbs. Its other distinctive markings are the white stripes along the sides of the face, and a black stripe down the length of the back.
There are three species of wallaby that have the characteristic “nail-tail”, with a nail-like spur about 3–6mm long at the tip of the tail: the bridled nailtail wallaby, crescent nailtail wallaby (believed to be extinct) and northern nailtail wallaby (common in northern Australia).
Habitat and distribution: The bridled nailtail wallaby lives in semi-arid areas where dense acacia shrubland and grassy woodland meet. At the time of European settlement this was a common species with a distribution reaching the west of the Great Dividing Range, north to Charters Towers in Queensland, south to north-western Victoria, and possibly extending west to eastern South Australia. The bridled nailtail wallaby now survives in only five percent of the area it once inhabited.
For over 30 years they were believed to be extinct as there had been no confirmed sightings of individuals since 1937. Then, in 1973, an article about Australia’s extinct species appeared in a magazine. After reading this article, a fencing contractor reported that there was a population of bridled nailtail wallabies on a property in central Queensland near the town of Dingo. This was confirmed by researchers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the property eventually became Taunton National Park (Scientific).
New populations of the wallaby have been re-introduced to habitats it once occupied to aid recovery of the species. In 1996 bridled nailtails were introduced to Idalia National Park and in 2005 the population was estimated at over 300. Captive breeding enclosures have also been constructed on a large private property south of Emerald called Avocet. The property has been converted to a Nature Refuge and is now home to a third free ranging population of about 100 wallabies.
Diet: The preferred diet of the bridled nailtail wallaby is largely non-woody broad-leafed plants, chenopods (succulents including pigweed), flowering plants and grasses. Two potential competitors for this food include the black-striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis) and domestic stock.
Life history and behaviour: Bridled nailtail wallabies are able to breed at any time, and can potentially have three young a year. The gestation period is around 24 days and young stay in the pouch for around 120 days. They mature at a young age (females at 136 days and males at 270 days), however, it may take up to 18 months before a male is large and strong enough to successfully mate.
The main defence strategy of the bridled nailtail wallaby is to hide rather than flee, which is uncommon in macropods. They are fairly inactive during the day and adults rest and shelter in hollow logs or under young brigalow trees, with females leaving their young-at-foot in low, dense vegetation such as grass tussocks.
It is unknown whether the “nail-tail” spur serves a function, but one theory is that it may aid their speed when the spur hits the ground and acts as a point on which the wallaby pivots during sharp turns. The bridled nailtail wallaby’s ability to flee at high speed is how they earned their name “flashjack”.
Threatening processes: Declines are believed to be from a combination of the following:
- predation by foxes, feral cats and wild dogs;
- habitat loss and modification (land clearing, fire and exotic weeds); and
- competition with introduced stock (mainly sheep) and rabbits.
Recovery actions:
- Preserve preferred habitat and increase the existing wild populations.
- Conserve largest existing population at Taunton National Park.
- Protect and enhance the two reintroduced populations at Idalia NP and Avocet Nature Refuge.
- Determine suitable habitat areas for future reintroductions.
- Continue feral predator control programs where appropriate and reduce the threat of fire on existing wild populations
What can be done to help this species?
Landholders in the areas where bridled nailtail wallabies have been known to occur should report sightings to the local EPA/QPWS office. As has been done with Avocet Nature Refuge, perpetual conservation agreements can be used to conserve areas of remnant vegetation that provides habitat for bridled nailtail wallabies. Under such agreements, incentives and support are provided to landholders and access to the property can be negotiated.
Further information:
Gordon, G. and Lawrie, B.C. (1980). The rediscovery of the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata Gould) in Queensland. Australian Wildlife Research 7: 339–345.
Horsup A. and Evans, M. (1993). Predation by feral cats, Felis catus, on an endangered marsupial, the bridled nailtail wallaby, Onychogalea fraenata. Australian Mammalogy 16(1): 85–86.
Johnson, P.M. (2003). Kangaroos of Queensland. Queensland Museum, Brisbane.
Lavery, H.J. and Tierney, P.J. (1985). ‘Scarcity and extinction’, in H.J. Lavery (ed.), The Kangaroo Keepers. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.
Lundie-Jenkins, G. and Lowry, J. 2005. Recovery plan for the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) 2005–2009. Report to the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH), Canberra. Environmental Protection Agency/Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane.
Last updated: 04 January 2007
