The
Tasmanian Pademelon (
Thylogale billardierii), also known as the
Rufous-bellied Pademelon or
Red-bellied Pademelon, is the sole endemic species of
pademelonA pademelon is any of seven species of small marsupials of the genus Thylogale. They are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods...
found in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
, and formally throughout south-eastern Australia. This pademelon has developed a more full and bushy fur than its northern relatives, who inhabit northern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Males reach around 12 kg (26.5 lbs) in weight, 1 - 1.2 metres in height, and are considerably larger than the females, who average 3.9 kg (8.6 lbs).
Pademelons are solitary and nocturnal, spending the daylight hours in thick vegetation.
The
Tasmanian Pademelon (
Thylogale billardierii), also known as the
Rufous-bellied Pademelon or
Red-bellied Pademelon, is the sole endemic species of
pademelonA pademelon is any of seven species of small marsupials of the genus Thylogale. They are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods...
found in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
, and formally throughout south-eastern Australia. This pademelon has developed a more full and bushy fur than its northern relatives, who inhabit northern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Males reach around 12 kg (26.5 lbs) in weight, 1 - 1.2 metres in height, and are considerably larger than the females, who average 3.9 kg (8.6 lbs).
Habitat
Pademelons are solitary and nocturnal, spending the daylight hours in thick vegetation.
RainforestRainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm . The monsoon trough, alternately known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests.From 40 to 75%...
,
sclerophyllSclerophyll is a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon . Sclerophyllous plants occur in all parts of the world but are most typical of Australia...
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
, and
scrublandScrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation composed largely of shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Scrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
are preferred, although wet gullies in dry open
eucalyptEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, and a very small number are found in adjacent parts of New Guinea and Indonesia...
forest are also used. Such places, next to open areas where feeding can occur, are especially favoured. After dusk, the animals move onto open areas to feed, but rarely stray more than 100 metres from the forest edge.
The species is abundant and widespread throughout Tasmania.
Diet
The Tasmanian Pademelon is a nocturnal
herbivoreA herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat plants and not meat.Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism consumes principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
feeding on a wide variety of plants, from herbs, green shoots and grass, to some nectar-bearing flowers.
Once a part of the diet of the
ThylacineThe Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger , the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie Tiger or simply the Tiger...
, the Tasmanian Pademelon is still preyed upon by other predators of the island, including the
Tasmanian DevilThe Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil is the only extant member of the genus Sarcophilus...
and
quollQuolls or native cats are carnivorous marsupials, native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Adults are between 25 and 75 cm long, with hairy tails about 20-35 cm long. Females have six to eight nipples and develop a pouch—which opens towards the tail—only during the breeding...
s. Even so, they are abundant to the point of being
culledCulling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done in order to either reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
occasionally (along with other
wallabiesA wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name....
) 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.
Breeding
There is no specific breeding season, though 70% of pademelon births seem to occur around the beginning of winter.
GestationGestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals duringpregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
for the female is 30 days. The young are in the pouch for about 6 months thereafter, and are weaned at around 8 months. Joeys are sexually mature at 14 - 15 months. Pademelons live between 5 to 6 years in the wild.
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