They are extremely shy little guys, venturing
no more than 100 meters from the forest edge; they will run as
soon as anything disturbs them, being so little everything is
a perceived predator. They are also the watchdogs of the forest,
as they will thump the ground in alarm with their back legs warning
other creatures of approaching danger. I can only imagine that
when a Python is
involved, they hope to fool it as to their actual size by making vibrations in the ground like that of a large creature, and hopefully the snake might think that they are
too big a meal for it to swallow. I often have this happen in
the nursery pen when I have Pademelon's in care, the sound can
be heard for quite some distance. I always investigate what is
causing the Pademelon to do this, and in most cases it will be
a python close by. Move the Python away a short distance, and
once again all is quiet.
Maturity is reached at 17 months of age, although some females
can reach maturity earlier. .
Breeding takes place all year
round, with a peak in spring and autumn. Mortality rate is very
high at the emerging stage of the joey; the many predators include
foxes, pythons, birds of prey, as well as domestic dogs, and motor
vehicles which account for many deaths.
The Pademelon feeds on
the fallen leaves of rainforest trees, native ferns, berries and
fruits. It also eats grass, a favorite being ”Pademelon”
grass often seen in our local forest, a small leafed creeping
grass.
Speaking about cars, it is often said to
me when I ask people did they check the pouch of a dead marsupial
found on the road. “No, the animal was smelly, as it had
been dead for a while” This does not mean that the possible
joey in the pouch is also dead at this stage. Joey's can in fact
survive for days in the pouch of a dead mother. I will recount
a story told by a motorist that brought me a very smelly little
Joey.
He had stopped on the highway to check
a wallaby, but when he opened the car door the smell was over
powering, so he got back in his car. He looked again and noticed
a little leg coming out of the pouch. Sure enough the joey was
alive, although very dehydrated and in need of medical attention,
it survived and was later released. So do check, even if you think
it is too late, it may not be. The same goes for possums and any
marsupials, including Bandicoots.
Some time ago the Village Journal ran a
story from a 100 years ago, recounting the lovely weekend everyone
had on the local Pademelon hunt where over 100 animals had been
killed. It was at that time considered sport to hunt Pademelon's,
maybe that is part of the reason we see them so rarely these days.
Another reason is land clearing, loss of habitat, as they require
dense under story to survive.
Dog attacks are common, so if you live
in the bush, make sure you know where your dog is at night. It
would welcome living inside at night, and our wildlife being nocturnal,
would equally welcome being able to feed safely. Once again I
would like to remind everyone that a dog does not need to catch
or attack a wallaby to do damage, as the chase is enough, because
wallabies develop a condition called Myopathy,
which is fatal causing the animal to die slowly in great pain,
silently and out of sight.
