Mating System

The dominant whiptail wallaby males (determined through size, and ritualized bouts of ‘pawing,’ which do not cause injury) are those who mate with the females in estrus. Courtship involves wild chasing of the females by the males (Nowak 2005). Males will wander amongst females, sniffing the cloaca and urine-tasting. If a male finds a female who is close to entering the period of estrus, he will stick close by her until she enters estrus and he can mate with her. During this time when he is following her, he can be replaced by another larger or more dominant male (MacDonald 2001).

The red-necked wallaby courting sequence (NOT seen in whiptails) proceeds as follows: female licks male’s neck, male rubs check against female’s cheek, male and female fight briefly, standing upright like two males, then the individuals mate (Kaufman 1974b). There is no paternal care of the young, as the mothers provide protection and food with their pouches.

Red-necked wallaby. photo used with permission from Mark McLean.

Both M. parryi and M. rufogriseus have shown the ability to mate throughout the year, but female period of receptability are very short, sometimes only a few hours. The estrus periods in these mammals are relatively short. For the whiptail, the estrous cycle is 42 days. For the red-necked wallaby, the estrous cycle is 32 days (Hume 1989). Female wallabies who spend the most time together tend to breed in synchrony (Johnson 1989). The mating system for these wallabies is hierarchical promiscuity. The most dominant males mate with available females in estrus.

Male (left) and female (right)

Male and female red-necked wallabies. Photos used with permission from http://www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com/red_necked_wallaby.htm

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This website was completed in partial fufillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the Spring Semester 2007.