There are no known adverse effects of Lagorchestes hirsutus on humans.
The sandy buff and grey-rufous pelt colorations of rufous hare-wallabies allows them to blend in well with their arid, desert like climates. Short burrows, with an average length of 105 m and depth of 30 m, are dug for protection from heat and predators during the day. They also shelter in small scrapes hidden by spinifex clumps or other bushes. The major threat to Lagorchestes hirsutus comes from feral cats and introduced red foxes. Dingos (Canis familiaris dingo) prey on these wallabies, but to a lesser extent.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
The name Lagorchestes means “dancing hare.” Hare-wallabies do resemble hares in appearance and behavior. However, like all wallabies, they have larger hind legs than hares, a thinner, hunched body, smaller forelimbs, and a long, thin tail. They are both quadripedal and bipedal, hopping on strong hind legs or maneuvering on all fours. Their fur is long, soft, and thick. Their ventrum and hindquarters are a sandy, buff color while the back and head are grey-rufous. They have long pointed ears, large black eyes, short whiskers, and darker colored paws. The species name hirsutus refers to the fact that their fur gets longer towards their back, giving them a shaggy appearance.
Males and females are identical in color, with females generally being larger in size. Females range from 0.78 to 1.9 kg while males range from 1.24 to 1.8 kg. The length from tip of nose to base of tail for females is 36 to 39 cm, and tail length is 24 to 30.5 cm. Male head/body length is 31 to 36 cm, and tail length is 26 to 27 cm. They both stand roughly 30 cm high.
There are four recognized sub-species, L. h. bernieri, L. h. dorreae, L. h. hirsutus, and an unnamed subspecies. Lagorchestes hirsutus bernieri is the Bernier Island sub-species, it has noticeably paler fur and shorter ears. Lagorchestes hirsutus dorreae is the Dorre Island sub-species, its fur is far redder than the mainland species and its skull is narrower between the orbits. Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus is extinct, and the unnamed subspecies is extinct in the wild and critically endangered.
Range mass: 0.78 to 1.9 kg.
Range length: 31 to 39 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger
There is little known about lifespan in rufous hare-wallabies.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.2 years.
Mainland habitats for rufous hare-wallabies were primarily in the Tanami Desert, which has a warm, dry monsoonal climate and is semi-arid. Drought is a common feature which makes rainfall the main factor in primary productivity. In comparison, current island habitats have a warm, dry Mediterranean climate.
Rufous hare-wallabies required mosaics of burnt and unburnt patches of spinifex grassland to survive in the Tanami Desert. The dominant species are mature Triodia pungens and Plectrachne schinzii. The various stages of fire succession, and the ecotones they created, provided adequate shelter and food supply. Patchiness, degree of senescence, diversity of food and vegetation, hummock size, and habitat structure were important factors influencing suitable and unsuitable areas. The degree of connectivity and accessibility of each of these aspects was important as well.
Bernier and Dorre islands have four main types of habitat: sand plain (Triodia species) grasslands, sand plain heath, consolidated dunes, unconsolidated dune/beach, and travertine heath. Rufous hare-wallabies occur throughout these habitats, but favor consolidated dunes, beaches, and both heath habitats. They shelter in scrapes, often under Triodia plurinervata or Thryptomene micrantha, or in single opening burrows. They will run out and escape in a zig zag pattern if flushed.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Rufous hare-wallabies historically had a widespread distribution throughout the arid and semi-arid parts of western Australia and southern Northern Territory until the 1930’s. Currently, they are only found on the islands of Dorre and Bernier in Shark Bay off the coast of Western Australia. They occur throughout each island, but are more abundant in the southern ends of both. A few small populations exist on the mainland in captive settings and in experimental reintroduction sites in the Tanami Desert and southern Shark Bay. Small wild populations did exist in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory; however, bush fires and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) predation wiped them out in the 1990’s.
Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )
Rufous hare-wallabies are granivorous and herbivorous. They eat mainly seeds, fruits, grasses, sedges, and succulent shrubs and herbs. They alter their feeding habits and diet in response to changes in their environment, primarily seasonal changes in rainfall.
Monocots are their staple diet (44 to 65%), along with seeds and succulent fruits when they are available. Rufous hare-wallabies prefer the stems and leaves of perennial grasses such as Eragrostis falcata, E. speciosa and Aristida browniana, and the seeds from T. pungens, E. falcata, and Aristida holathera. The plant material of T. pungens was avoided unless conditions were very poor. Leaves and stems from sedges like Cyperus conicus, C. bulbosus, C. concinnus, Fimbristylis caespitosa, and Bulbostylis species were a less favored alternative, comprising 15 to 32% of the diet.
Dicots, hardy perennials, and occasional insects are chosen in drier, poorer conditions. The plant material of Goodenia virgata, Neobassia astrocarpa, and Stackhousia intermedia, and the seeds and fruit of Cassytha filiformis were extensively used as a secondary diet. They are flexible enough to utilize the nectar rich flowers of Grevillea juncifolia if necessary.
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; nectar
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Granivore )
Rufous hare-wallabies are herbivores, feeding on a wide variety of plant species, and may play a role in altering the distribution and abundance of such species by grazing, browsing, and digging burrows. There is competition between hare wallabies and introduced rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) because of similar size, metabolic requirements, and overlaps in habitat and diet. Diet overlap and competition is highest when conditions are poorest. Rufous hare-wallabies are also prey to co-occurring carnivores, such as dingos, red foxes, and domestic cats.
Lagorchestes hirsutus were once so abundant that they were an important food source for aboriginal people in Australia. Current populations are too low to sustain any type of harvest.
Positive Impacts: food
Small yearly fires by aborigines promoted regeneration of plants fed upon by hare wallabies and created a patchwork of habitats for them to live in. The absence of these fires causes a build up of brush, which feeds uncontrollable summer bush fires. Livestock grazing, competition with introduced rabbits, predation by exotic feral cats and red foxes, and loss of habitat due to fragmentation and clearing has decimated rufous hare-wallaby populations on the mainland. Island populations are relatively stable, but susceptible to catastrophic events and population fluctuations.
Rufous hare-wallabies are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, listed in Appendix 1 of CITES, and endangered in Endangered Species Protection Act. Conservation measures are being taken to maintain current wild populations and to breed the ones in captivity. The Mala Recovery Plan was designed to maintain the status of island populations and to improve the status of the mainland population to vulnerable within 10 years. It also hopes to maintain existing captive populations, create three self-sustaining wild populations on the mainland with predator control, or make them predator free, secure island populations with appropriate management techniques, raise public awareness and support for the plight of this species, clarify taxonomy, and develop effective management and translocation prescriptions.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
Rufous hare-wallabies primarily use body language and vocalizations to communicate with each other. They are generally non-aggressive and avoid confrontation. Two females will often sniff each other then leave, a male may mark his territory by spraying a tree with urine, alarmed wallabies will give a loud squeak and then hiss as they run for cover. Even though they are nocturnal, they can still use posture and movements for visual communication, especially during female and male interaction.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Common names for Lagorchestes hirsutus include rufous hare-wallaby, mala, western hare-wallaby, and spinifex rat. Prior to the 1930’s this was one of the most abundant and wide spread macropodids in Australia. Now it is one of the rarest and most limited in its distribution.
Rufous hare-wallabies are solitary creatures. When they meet, a male will sexually inspect a female. If she is unresponsive, she will move away or kick. Responsive females will lay prone and accept mating. In the wild, males may guard their mates, and often times a single ovulating female will attract many males, giving rise to a mating chase. In captivity, lack of additional males in the pen and limited space remove the necessity for mate defense. Future research needs to be done on effectiveness of mate guarding and length of female receptivity in the wild.
Mating System: polygynous
Like other macropodids, rufous hare-wallabies exhibit embryonic diapause. This allows the female to decrease the interval between litters if conditions are favorable and food is plentiful, or put an embryo on hold, or even abort, if a drought occurs. This is exceedingly important in the unstable environments most hare-wallabies live in. There is no evidence that lactating female wallabies occupy different habitats while pregnant so they are just as susceptible to changes in food availability and nutritional content.
Rufous hare-wallabies are receptive at, or slightly before, the time when they wean their young in the pouch. This, combined with their relatively short gestation and shortened pouch-life (124 days), allows them to have up to three offspring per year. They are monovular and polyestrous.
Time to weaning is 5 months and females can be sexually mature anywhere from 5 to 23 months old. Males are sexually mature at 14 to 20 months.
Breeding interval: In captivity, rufous hare-wallabies breed continuously throughout the year.
Breeding season: Rufous hare-wallabies in captive settings have no set breeding season- they breed year round. In the wild however, most successful births coincide with months of heavy rainfall, when more high quality food is available.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average weaning age: 124 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 5 to 23 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 14 to 20 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; embryonic diapause
Average number of offspring: 1.
Females care for, feed, and protect the young. Once weaned, mothers and other mature adults often act aggressively towards juveniles. This causes the juvenile to disperse, decreasing the chances of inbreeding and reducing local competition for scarce resources.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent, but naturally occurring populations are now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Island Islands off Western Australia.[4]
Although once widespread in the central and western deserts, predation by feral cats and foxes, and destructive wildfires, caused the last wild population on mainland Australia to go extinct in the early 1990s.[5] Despite its extinction in the wild, the mainland subspecies persisted in captivity.[6]
The species, which is currently classified as vulnerable,[2] has rufous-grey fur and is the smallest hare-wallaby, weighing just 800-1,600 grams.[5] It is a solitary nocturnal herbivore that feeds on herbs, leaves and seeds.
Mala prefer spinifex sandplain habitat; the animals build burrows under large spinifex hummocks. The burrows are tunnel-like structures with a spinifex roof. This provides a cool refuge during the heat of the day. In summer, they are likely to dig deeper burrows to withstand searing desert temperatures.[5]
Captive stocks of the mainland subspecies are currently being reintroduced in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory.[4] In July 2019, the first reintroductions into the Newhaven Sanctuary were conducted, with the release of 30 individuals into the 9,400 hectare, feral predator-free area.[5]
Animals from both Bernier Island and Dorre Island have recently been translocated to Dirk Hartog Island following the complete removal of livestock and feral cats from the landscape.[7]
The first European to describe the rufous hare-wallaby was John Gould (1844) in The Mammals of Australia.
Four distinct subpopulations of this species have been described as subspecies, especially with regard to their conservation status. Estimates of these island colonies numbers were between 4,300 and 6,700 in 1994; the environmental conditions cause fluctuations in the total number of animals.
Two possible subspecies are found in range restricted to islands near Western Australia.
The fourth is an unnamed subspecies that has been conserved by relocation.
A species of Lagorchestes, the smallest of the genus, the combined length of the head and body is 310 to 390 millimetres, greater than the tail length of 245 to 300 mm. Their weight range is 800 to 1,600 grams and body form is comparatively light and delicate. The colouration of the pelage is rufous overall, greyer at the upper back and yellowish at the underside and forearm. Some parts of the population, such as those at the Bernier and Dorre island in Shark Bay, have greyer fur at the underside. The sandy colour of the tail terminates in a grey tip. The fur is long and shaggy in appearance.[9]
For the Anangu, or Aboriginal people, the Mala or "hare wallaby people" are important ancestral beings. For tens of thousands of years, the Mala have watched over them from rocks and caves and walls, guiding them on their relationships with people, plants and animals, rules for living and caring for country. Mala Tjukurpa, the Mala Law, is central to their living culture and celebrated in story, song, dance and ceremony.[10]
The rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent, but naturally occurring populations are now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Island Islands off Western Australia.
Although once widespread in the central and western deserts, predation by feral cats and foxes, and destructive wildfires, caused the last wild population on mainland Australia to go extinct in the early 1990s. Despite its extinction in the wild, the mainland subspecies persisted in captivity.
The species, which is currently classified as vulnerable, has rufous-grey fur and is the smallest hare-wallaby, weighing just 800-1,600 grams. It is a solitary nocturnal herbivore that feeds on herbs, leaves and seeds.
Mala prefer spinifex sandplain habitat; the animals build burrows under large spinifex hummocks. The burrows are tunnel-like structures with a spinifex roof. This provides a cool refuge during the heat of the day. In summer, they are likely to dig deeper burrows to withstand searing desert temperatures.
Captive stocks of the mainland subspecies are currently being reintroduced in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. In July 2019, the first reintroductions into the Newhaven Sanctuary were conducted, with the release of 30 individuals into the 9,400 hectare, feral predator-free area.
Animals from both Bernier Island and Dorre Island have recently been translocated to Dirk Hartog Island following the complete removal of livestock and feral cats from the landscape.
