Swamp wallabies bouncing in to their new home…
After arriving on Friday 4th September, Paignton Zoo is now home to a new species – swamp wallabies.
The only living species of the Wallabia genus and closely resembling kangaroos, this small marsupial has dark brown fur, with lighter rusty markings on the belly, chest and base of the ears. As with many marsupials, this species is native to the eastern coast of Australia. They are typically around 70cms in length and weigh around 13 to 17kgs.
The latest arrivals are four males, forming a bachelor group. The individuals travelled together to Paignton from three different European zoological collections; Zagreb Zoo (Croatia), Pairi Daiza Zoo (Belgium) and Munich Zoo Hellabrunn (Germany).
Unusually, swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) are one of the few macropods to have webbed feet – along with being able to move their hind legs independently when in water, this makes them good swimmers. However, when on land, they are only able to move their legs together.
The swamp wallabies are currently settling in well and will be on-show soon.