Northern Nail-tail Wallaby

Northern Nail-tail Wallaby[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Macropodidae
Genus:	Onychogalea
Species:	O. unguifera
Binomial name
Onychogalea unguifera (Gould, 1841)
The distribution of the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby Data from The Atlas of Living Australia

The Northern Nail-tail Wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera), also known as the Sandy Nail-tail Wallaby, is a species of macropod found in Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory. Unlike the Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby (O. fraenata), the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is not a threatened species.^[2] The only other member of the genus, the Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby (O. lunata), is extinct.

The Northern Nail-tail Wallaby by far the largest species in the genus Onychogalea. It is a solitary, nocturnal browser feeding on a variety of foliage. It is a sandy colour, which gave rise to its other common name.^[3]

Two subspecies have been defined, but their validity is disputed.

• O. u. unguifera from the northwestern part of its range;
• O. u. annulicauda from the northeastern part of its range.^[4]

References

1. ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 66. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Woinarski, J., Winter, J. & Burbidge, A. (2008). Onychogalea unguifera. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
3. ^ Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 124. 
4. ^ Gordon, G. (1981). Northern Nailtail Wallaby in The Complete Book of Australian Mammals (ed. Ronald Strahan). Angus & Robertson. p. 204. 

External links

• biodiversity.mongabay.com