A rock-dwelling wallaby of dry regions in Australia.
It has a grey back, white underside, reddish to yellow ears and feet, and dark bands on its tail.
Fences built to exclude animals can also separate rock-wallaby colonies. Researchers compared 138 Queensland sites surveyed in 2010–2023 with records from the 1970s–1980s. By 2023, wallabies had returned to eight sites in the north-east.
Newer exclusion fences crossed remaining habitat; the authors estimated that about a quarter of surveyed sites may have become isolated. Yet since 2010, fence proximity had no significant association with wallaby presence or abundance. The authors warn that a barrier could still prevent recolonization if a small colony disappears. This study of one subspecies shows why long-term monitoring needs to track links between rocky ranges as well as local numbers.
IUCN Red List · Near Threatened (NT) · Global species-level status
The Mammal Diversity Database currently lists the species as Near Threatened (NT) globally and links to a 2016 IUCN assessment. Local listings differ: an NSW government profile updated in 2025 lists it as Endangered in NSW and Vulnerable nationally. A state action plan approved in 2025 identifies foxes and feral cats, goats and rabbits, intensified drought, and low genetic diversity in small fragmented populations as risks at three Mutawintji reserves. It calls for annual population estimates, management of introduced predators and herbivores, genetic monitoring and translocation when needed. These local classifications and actions cover named sites or jurisdictions and are distinct from the global IUCN category.