Rufous Hare-wallaby

Taxobox
name = Rufous Hare-wallabyMSW3 Groves|pages=63]


status = VU
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group|year=1996|id=11162|title=Lagorchestes hirsutus|downloaded=2006-12-28]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
infraclassis = Marsupialia
ordo = Diprotodontia
familia = Macropodidae
genus = "Lagorchestes"
species = "L. hirsutus"
binomial = "Lagorchestes hirsutus"
binomial_authority = Gould, 1844

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 is now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Islands off Western Australia.cite book|last=Menkhorst|first=Peter|year=2001|title=A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=108] It is currently classified as vulnerable.

The Rufous Hare-wallaby has rufous-grey fur and is the smallest hare-wallaby. It is a solitary nocturnal hunter that feeds on herbs, leaves and seeds. It is currently being reintroduced to mainland Australia, notably in the Tanami Desert in Northern Territory.

References

External links

* [http://www.animalinfo.org/species/lagohirs.htm Animal Info - Rufous Hare Wallaby]
* [http://www.australianfauna.com/rufousharewallaby.php Australian Fauna - Rufous Hare Wallaby (includes photo)]