Mareeba Rock Wallaby

About the Mareeba Rock Wallaby

The Mareeba rock-wallaby (Petrogale mareeba) is a rare species of rock-wallaby found around Mareeba in northeastern Queensland, Australia. The Mareeba rock-wallaby is a member of a group of seven very closely related species within the genus Petrogale, which also includes the Cape York rock-wallaby (P. coenensis), the unadorned rock-wallaby (P. inornata) and the allied rock-wallaby (P. assimilis). It was only identified as a separate species in 1992. Both the common name and the Latin specific epithet reflect the distribution of this species around the settlement of Mareeba.

The Mareeba rock-wallaby is a rare species, found in the highlands west of Cairns from around Mount Garnet to the Mitchell River and Mount Carbine, and inland to Mungana, but only on the tops of a couple of mountain ranges. The animals can be seen in their natural habitat in the Granite Gorge Nature Park, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) inland from Cairns.

Although rare, and a near-threatened species under IUCN classification, the animal is classed as one of "Least concern" under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992. Wikipedia →