Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

s and the

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...

. The word "wallaroo" is from the

Dharug The Dharug or Darug people, formerly known as the Broken Bay tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people, who share strong ties of kinship and, in pre-colonial times, lived as skilled hunters in family groups or clans, scattered throughout much ...

''walaru'', and not a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words

Description

Wallaroos are typically distinct species from kangaroos and wallabies. An exception is the antilopine wallaroo, which is commonly known as an antilopine kangaroo when large, an antilopine wallaby (when small), or an antilopine wallaroo when of intermediate size.

Species

Wallaroo may refer to one of several species in the genus ''

Osphranter ''Osphranter'' is a genus of large marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as kangaroos and wallaroos (among other species). It contains the largest extant marsupial, the red kangaroo (''O. rufus''). In 2019, a reassessment of mac ...

'': * The

common wallaroo The common wallaroo (''Osphranter robustus''), also known as the euro, hill wallaroo, or simply wallaroo, is a species of macropod. The word ''euro'' is particularly applied to one subspecies (''O. r. erubescens'').WE Poole and JC Merchant (198 ...

or wallaroo (''Osphranter robustus'') is the best-known species. There are four

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the common wallaroo: the eastern wallaroo (''O. r. robustus'') and the euro (''O. r. erubescens''), which are both widespread, and two of more restricted range, one from

Barrow Island Barrow Island may refer to: * Barrow Island (Western Australia), Australia * Barrow Island (Queensland), Australia * Barrow Island, Barrow-in-Furness Barrow Island is an area and electoral ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Originall ...

(the Barrow Island wallaroo (''O. r. isabellinus'')), the other from the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region (the Kimberley wallaroo (''O. r. woodwardi'')). * The

black wallaroo The black wallaroo (''Osphranter bernardus''), also known as Woodward's wallaroo, is a species of macropod restricted to a small, mountainous area in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, between South Alligator River and Nabarlek. It clas ...

(''O. bernardus'') occupies an area of steep, rocky ground in

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

. At around in length (excluding tail) it is the smallest wallaroo and the most heavily built. Males weigh , females about . Because it is very wary and is found only in a small area of remote and very rugged country, it is little-known. * The

antilopine wallaroo The antilopine kangaroo (''Osphranter antilopinus''), also known as the antilopine wallaroo or the antilopine wallaby, is a species of macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Terri ...

''(O. antilopinus''), also known as the antilopine kangaroo or the antilopine wallaby, is a creature of the grassy plains and woodlands and is gregarious, unlike other wallaroos which are solitary.

References

External links

* * {{Diprotodontia, M. Macropods Marsupials of Australia Australian Aboriginal words and phrases Mammal common names