Wallaby

The distinction between kangaroos and wallabies is not rigidly scientific, the large species being called kangaroos and the smaller species wallabies, with a transition in the larger wallabies which are also known as brush kangaroos.

Like kangaroos, wallabies are marsupials. Marsupials carry their young in pouch or a fold of skin, on the front of their bodies. Most wallabies are the size of  hare or slightly larger but the brush or scrub wallabies may grow up to 3 feet long in head and body, with a tail 2.5 feet long a weight of up to 50 pounds.

Wallabies like their large relatives have powerful hind legs and small forelegs, and are bipedal o locomotion. They hop around using their strong hind legs.

There are three species of hare wallaby, each of which is grayish brown with some red in places. There is only one species of banded hare wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus. It is grayish with many dark bands across the back, from the nape running down to the base of the tail.

Another species of wallaby is the yellow-footed rock wallaby. Yellow-footed rock wallabies live in the rocky, dry areas of southern Australia. The fur on the feet of these wallabies is yellow or bright orange. Yellow-footed rock wallabies grow to be about three and a half feet long from head to tail.
Wallaby

The wombats

Wombats are ancient animals. Marsupials – the pouched mammals, of which the wombat is one – evolved about 100 million years ago, but the Australian fossil record is woefully sparse.

Wombats are grazing animals and are among the world’s largest burrowers. All wombats live in burrows underground. They use their strong limbs to dig into and sweep away soil. To enlarge a tunnel, a wombat rolls onto its back and scratches at the walls.

The wombat has a chunky physique, short legs and a generally uncouth and frowsy look. They have large flat heads with small eyes.

Southern hairy-nosed wombat 

The average wombat is about a yard long from the tip of his nose to his vestigial tail.

The average weight of mainland wombats is about 26 kilograms, but weights of 35 kilograms are not uncommon.

Tasmanian wombats are slightly smaller. Tasmanian wombats have tough hides and thick, coarse hair. They lead extremely boresome lives.

Three wombat species belong to the family Vombatidae:
*The southern hairy-nosed wombats
*The northern hairy-nosed wombats
*The common wombats
The wombats