How many wallabies are left in the world?

Answer 1

Wallabies as a general species are not endangered. Distribution is widespread across the bushland and grasslands of Australia, including coastal areas. Wallabies are not found in the desert.

Within the general term of "wallaby" are about 30 species that are true wallabies. Some types of wallabies are endangered, others are not. The swamp wallaby, for example, which is the largest of the wallaby species, is classified as "common". These are the wallabies that have been introduced overseas, reproducing to the degree that they have become pests. Feral populations exist in New Zealand, the Isle of Man, Hawaii, Scotland and England, to name a few places. Given that there are so many population overseas, as well as Australia, wallaby numbers world wide would easily be in the millions. Within Australia alone, the combined population of kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos varies from year to year, between 15 million and 50 million, depending on environmental conditions.

Rock wallabies seem to be the most endangered, with some fifteen species known to have become extinct since European settlement. Wallabies with a conservation status of "endangered" include the following (among others):

• Brush tailed rock wallaby
• Yellow footed rock wallaby
• Proserpine rock-wallaby
• Bridled nailtail wallaby
• Banded hare-wallaby

The following wallaby species are "near threatened", "threatened" or "vulnerable":

• Parma wallaby
• Black footed rock wallaby
• Black-flanked rock wallaby
• Tammar wallaby

It is these wallabies that have much smaller populations overall - hence their conservation status.