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A Bennett's wallaby standing upright on grass.
Photo: Noodle snacks, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bennett's Wallaby

Notamacropus rufogriseus (also called Macropus rufogriseus)

A red-necked wallaby from eastern Australia and Tasmania that grazes at twilight and raises its joey in a pouch.

🦘 Marsupials
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About the Bennett's Wallaby

Bennett's wallabies, also called red-necked wallabies, stand about 36 inches tall and weigh 30 to 40 pounds. They have gray fur, a white chest and reddish fur on the neck and shoulders. They live along Australia's east coast and in Tasmania, in eucalyptus forests and open areas near trees. They graze on grasses and herbs and are most active at twilight.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Notamacropus rufogriseus (also called Macropus rufogriseus)[1][2]
Size
About 36 inches tall.[1]
Weight
30 to 40 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
About 5 years in human care, sometimes much longer.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Grasses and herbs; roots provide water in dry times.[1]
Habitat
Eucalyptus forests and open areas near trees, including farmland.[1]
Where it lives
Eastern Australia, from mid-Queensland to South Australia, and Tasmania.[1]
Group life
Mostly solitary; may feed in loose groups of up to 30. Most active at twilight.[1]
Babies
One joey after a 29-day pregnancy; it lives in the pouch about 9 months.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2015).[2]

Fun facts

  • A newborn wallaby weighs less than 1 gram.[1]
  • Wallabies can crawl and swim as well as hop.[1]
  • A mother can pause a new baby's growth until her older joey leaves the pouch.[1]

Vocabulary

marsupial
A mammal whose babies finish growing in a pouch.
joey
A baby kangaroo or wallaby.
pouch
A pocket of skin where a marsupial carries its baby.
crepuscular
Most active at dawn and dusk.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Bennett's wallaby.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bennetts-wallaby (accessed 2026-10-08)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40566/21953329 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

More Marsupials

Brush-tailed BettongBettongia penicillataCommon WallarooOsphranter robustusKoalaPhascolarctos cinereusTammar WallabyMacropus eugenii (also called Notamacropus eugenii)