What (who) is wallaby - definition

COMMON NAME OF SMALL- OR MID-SIZED MACROPODS FOUND IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW GUINEA

Wallabies

Wallaby

·noun Any one of numerous species of kangaroos belonging to the genus Halmaturus, native of Australia and Tasmania, especially the smaller species, as the brush kangaroo (H. Bennettii) and the pademelon (H. thetidis). The wallabies chiefly inhabit the wooded district and bushy plains.

wallaby

(wallabies)

A wallaby is an animal similar to a small kangaroo. Wallabies live in Australia and New Guinea.

N-COUNT

wallaby

¦ noun (plural wallabies)

1. an Australasian marsupial similar to but smaller than a kangaroo. [Numerous species in the family Macropodidae.]

2. (the Wallabies) informal the Australian international rugby union team.

Origin

C19: from Dharuk walabi or waliba.

Wikipedia

Wallaby

A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but kangaroos are specifically categorised into the four largest species of the family. The term "wallaby" is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaroo that has not been designated otherwise.

There are nine species (eight extant and one extinct) of the brush wallaby (genus Notamacropus). Their head and body length is 45 to 105 cm (18 to 41 in) and the tail is 33 to 75 cm (13 to 30 in) long. The 19 known species of rock-wallabies (genus Petrogale) live among rocks, usually near water; two species in this genus are endangered. The two living species of hare-wallabies (genus Lagorchestes; two other species in this genus are extinct) are small animals that have the movements and some of the habits of hares. The three species (two extant and one extinct) of nail-tail wallabies (genus Onychogalea) have one notable feature: a horny spur at the tip of the tail; its function is unknown. The seven species of pademelons or scrub wallabies (genus Thylogale) of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Tasmania are small and stocky, with short hind limbs and pointed noses. The swamp wallaby (genus Wallabia) is the only species in its genus. Another wallaby that is monotypic is the quokka or short-tailed scrub wallaby (genus Setonix); this species is now restricted to two offshore islands of Western Australia which are free of introduced predators. The seven species of dorcopsises or forest wallabies (genera Dorcopsis (four species, with a fifth as yet undescribed) and Dorcopsulus (two species)) are all native to the island of New Guinea.

One of the brush wallaby species, the dwarf wallaby (Notamacropus dorcopsulus), also native to New Guinea, is the smallest known wallaby species and one of the smallest known macropods. Its length is about 46 cm (18 in) from the nose to the end of the tail, and it weighs about 1.6 kg (3.5 lb).

Wallabies are hunted for meat and fur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallaby

Examples of use of wallaby

1. Hopping through the undergrowth and munching on grass, this rare albino wallaby looks perfectly at home.

2. She has been seen urinating beside her bed, eating a wallaby penis and violently vomiting over herself.

3. Miss Purdy contacted police but last night no–one had reported an albino wallaby missing.

4. "And then they wanted to know what a wallaby was," he said.

5. English fans love rubbing salt into Wallaby wounds and this leaves no holes barred.