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Bridled Nailtail Wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata)
Conservation Status
NATIONAL: Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)
Queensland: Endangered (Nature Conservation Act 1992)
Description
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby is a small wallaby, weighing an average of 5-6kg (females 45kg). It is 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. Like the other
two species of Onychogalea it has a small, horny spur at the end of the tail, the function
of which is unknown.
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby's ability to flee at high speed is how it earned the name "flashjack". Yet the main defence strategy of the
Bridled Nailtail is to hide rather than flee.
Habitat
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby lives in semi-arid areas where dense acacia scrubland and grassy woodland meet.
Distribution
At the time of European settlement it 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.
For over 30 years the species was believed to be extinct until a small population was
found on a property in central Queensland. This area - now the Taunton National Park is the site of the only known significant wild population. The Bridled Nail-Tail Wallaby
now survives in only five per cent of its original range.
Diet
During the day the Bridled Nailtail shelters under bushes and may scratch a shallow
depression. An hour before dusk it emerges to graze for food. Except in drier months, it
rarely ventures far from the edge of the scrub.
The diet is diverse, including herbaceous species, grasses and shrubs.
Map: Courtesy of Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust
Breeding
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby is usually solitary. Breeding occurs throughout the year, although young are more often seen during late spring
and summer when conditions are more favourable for plant growth. The gestation period is around 24 days and young stay in the pouch
for around 120 days.
Threats
Threats to the continued existence of the species are from a combination of 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. It is estimated that
only 200-400 Bridled Nailtail Wallabies remain in the wild.
Recovery Plan
The Bridled Nailtail Wallaby has been re-introduced to several habitats (Idalia National Park and Avocet Nature Refuge in QLD, and Scotia
Sanctuary in western NSW). FAME was instrumental establishing the colony at Scotia Sanctuary, where numbers have increased
significantly. FAME also provided support for the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust’s effort to expand the three remaining wild populations of
Bridled Nailtail Wallaby in Queensland.
References & More Information
Bridled Nailtail Wallaby Trust http://www.bntwallaby.org.au/
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2010. Onychogalea fraenata in Species Profile and Threats Database.
http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat.
Strahan R (Ed) 1995. Mammals of Australia. The Australian Museum Trust. Reed New Holland, Australia.
May-15
www.fame.org.au