Bennett Wallaby

Macropus rufogriseus


Bennett’s Wallabies are also known are the red-necked wallaby, a medium-sized macropod marsupial. They are very common in the temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including the island of Tasmania. These wallabies can be found living and feeding along coastal forest and scrubs. Bennett’s wallabies have been introduced to several countries including European countries of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France.

Bennett’s wallabies are mainly solitary but will gather together if there is an abundance of resources such as food, water, or shelter. When they are gathered in larger groups, they have a social hierarchy similar to other wallaby species. They are mainly nocturnal and spend most of the daytime resting. Bennett’s wallabies have a herbivorous diet consisting of grasses, roots, tree leaves and weeds.

During courting / mating season, these wallabies will break their solitary living habits. A part of this courting process involves the male and female standing upright briefly fighting. The couple will stay together for one day before separating. Females bear one offspring at a time; with the young staying in its mother's pouch for 280 days. After emerging from the pouch, females and their offspring stay together for a month. These wallabies have been known to engage in alloparental care, meaning and individual may adopt the child of another.

Say Hello To Cub Creek's Wallabies: Sherlock, Juniper, April & Friends

Sherlock came out of the pouch in December 2014 and is the son of Mandy and Pogo. Sherlock was raised by our Director and spends his day in the pentagon eating all the clover he can find. He loves giving big hugs and meeting new friends. Juniper is the daughter of Dundee and Candy and came out of the pouch in the summer of 2017. She was hand raised by our summer animal care team. Juniper can be found hiding under the shade of her favorite tree in the pentagon watching the campers enjoying their classes. April came out of the pouch in April of 2018 and is the daughter of Dundee and Candy. She is the sister of Juniper. April was hand raised by our Director and animal care team in the summer. She loves getting pets and eating all her fruits and vegetables! Maple and Willow were both born in the summer of 2021 to Juniper and April.

Bennett Wallaby Map - Cub Creek Science Camp

Bennett Wallabies are common across Eastern Australia and Tasmania. They've also been introduced to several countries in Europe.

Habitat Icon Cub Creek Science Camp

HABITAT -Temperate parts of the eastern coast of Australia, inhabiting forest and shrubland.

Diet Icon Cub Creek Science Camp

DIET -They are herbivores, with a diet consisting of grasses, roots, tree leaves and weeds.

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FUN FACT -Known for hopping, they can also crawl and swim!

Social Behavior Icon Cub Creek Science Camp

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR -Live a mainly solitary life, except in mating season where they will pair for a short period.

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ACTIVITY -Active during dusk through the night, known to be nocturnal.

Predator Icon Cub Creek Science Camp

PREDATORS -Predators of Bennett’s wallabies include dingos, foxes and large reptiles.

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SIZE -They can weigh anywhere from 30 - 40 lbs being anywhere from 3 - 6 feet tall.

RelativesIcon Cub Creek Science Camp

RELATIVES -Macropodidae is a family of marsupials, known to have kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos and more!

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CONSERVATION -Bennett’s wallabies are considered Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Cub Creek Animal Care Information


Housing - Our Bennett’s Wallabies are spread out amongst three large outdoor / indoor enclosures. All of them provide large amounts of lush grass, brush, and trees to simulate a natural forest environment. They have automatic water dispensers in their enclosures ensuring fresh water at all times. There are also covered shelters, bedded with shavings within the outdoor enclosures. When bottle raising wallabies, they are kept in pouches to simulate a natural environment. They are raised with the comfort and love our our director team.

Diet - Happy Hopper is a main staple in our wallabies diets. This is a food supplement with a special blend of whole cereal grains, protein, minerals and vitamins. This food is fortified with added vitamin E and selenium. They also receive a variety of greens, diced sweet potato, and rabbit pellets. When bottle raising wallabies, Esbilac milk is given to them. This milk gives them milk proteins they need along with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to help their bodies grow and develop properly.

Enrichment - Our Bennett’s Wallabies receive plenty of one-on-one socialization with campers during the summer and our animal team in the off-season. We encourage occasionally scatter feeding so that animals will forage for food. Campers have made special fruit popsicles and other special fruit treats for our wallabies!