Agile wallaby

The agile wallaby is the most common wallaby in Northern Australia and is very common in the Northern Territory (NT). 

Females grow to around 65cm and males grow to 80cm. 

Agile wallabies are a pale sandy colour with a darker stripe from the nose to eye. They also have a lighter stripe on their thigh and black tips on their ears and tail.

It is also known as the sandy wallaby, Kimberley wallaby, jungle wallaby, grass wallaby and river wallaby.

The agile wallaby is a protected species in the NT. You should not interfere with the agile wallaby without a permit. Read more about wildlife permits.

Ecology

Agile wallabies eat native grasses, grass roots and some leaves. 

Agile wallabies are social and live in groups of up to 10. They can be seen in larger groups when there is plenty of food.

They can breed throughout the year and females produce one joey each year. 

They have a short pregnancy period of around 30 days, after which the joey is kept in the pouch for seven or eight months. 

Joeys leave the pouch at around 10 to 12 months old. Female wallabies generally mate again soon after giving birth but the embryo does not develop until the pouch is available.

Threats

Agile wallaby numbers in the NT are decreasing. 

They are still classified as secure due to their widespread availability of suitable habitat and that they can increase in numbers quickly when conditions are good.

When numbers were high in the past, over-hunting and poisoning campaigns in Western Australia and the NT greatly reduced wallaby numbers. 

One key threat is the illegal commercial trade of the agile wallaby in Northern Australia. 

It is illegal to hunt, keep or trade agile wallabies without a permit.

Read how to report a wildlife crime.

Impact

In towns, some agile wallabies have lost their fear of people - generally due to feeding - and some males can be aggressive towards people.

Some farmers find agile wallabies a pest as they take up irrigated areas in large numbers and graze on crops and paddocks.