Joe whispering a secret to Pepe.
Pepe and Joe are red-necked wallabies. So that begs the question - what is a wallaby? The majority, but not all, wallabies also belong to a group of marsupials we call macropods. Macropod basically means "big foot" - take a look at the back foot and you'll know why that's appropriate. All kangaroos are macropods. Kangaroos are much larger and can weigh up to 85kgs, whereas wallabies are much smaller and do not exceed about 20kgs. Wallabies tend to spend more time in forests coming into open areas only to feed, whereas kangaroos spend much more of their time in open areas. Wallabies tend to eat a much larger variety of vegetation, with kangaroos staying primarily with grasses.
Red-necked wallabies are probably the most common wallaby in the forests of east coast Australia, but we are losing many to habitat clearing, which I find so sad. I feel privileged to be able to look up from my work on the computer to see one grazing not far from my house.
Pepe and Joe both lost their mothers to cars and were teamed up to be raised together and then, when almost weaned, they came here to be released. They really were a couple of characters, particularly Joe.
Joe loved to sit in a chair!
Cuddling or dancing? Hard to tell.
Joe would throw himself at Pepe.
You could almost hear Joe saying "I love you Pepe"
and equally Pepe saying "Get down Joe you're embarrassing us both."
These photos were taken before Merrilyn arrived and at the point we are up to in our story they were released 24 hours from the security of the raising pen and just came in for supplementary feed as they started to move away and to make their own way in the wild. This is a shot of them a little after Bob arrived.
Don't know who Bob is? Not sure who Merrilyn is? Want to catch up with the story so far? You can do that here. I'm getting very excited about hitting the 100 follower mark - if you aren't following yet, you might be the magic 100. You can also follow the story on facebook here.
Until next Friday when I'll bring you up to date with Busters broken foot and poor little Bob. Stay safe and enjoy. Cheryl
Those pictures are adorable, Cheryl! Thanks for the lesson. :)
ReplyDeleteWow - every week I am hooked
ReplyDeleteI thought the pic of Joe whispering a secret to Pepe was the cutest thing ever. And then I saw Joe in the chair. Amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat hugging picture, and your excellent comment, really made me laugh out loud! Love this blog
ReplyDeleteAdorable, amazing animals. Love those feet. Thanks for doing such a great job of educating us.
ReplyDeleteInformative post! Those pics are great. Adorable animals. Dangit, I want one!
ReplyDeleteWhat great shots! I just want to get in there and hug Pepe and Joe too! I'm loving these stories Cheryl!
ReplyDeleteAw you're all so lovely. Glad you love my treasures too!
ReplyDeleteSo cute! We're starting to plan for a 6-week trip to New Zealand and Australia in February 2013. Hopefully we'll get to see some of these delightful creatures.
ReplyDeleteThey are just adorable!
ReplyDeleteI love knowing that every time I come here I'm going to be treated to a good story, adorable pictures, and I get to learn new things. Nothing much better than that in life.
ReplyDeleteI gotta ask the question about the lil cage behind the dancing wallabies, what are you attempting to catch?
ReplyDeleteHey there and thanks again for all the comments. Mike I was bemused by your question and if you are talking about the 3rd photo down that's the fencing to my rose garden - so keeping things out not trying to catch anything - sadly wallabies and possums love roses! (And so do I).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation - I wouldn't have known the difference. Pepe and Joe are just as cute as the rest of the gang.
ReplyDeleteSO nice to meet you! I will be back for more! Love the story and photos. You are so lucky to be able to do this.
ReplyDeleteOoh, ooh, I was waving my arms around like that annoying kid in class because I knew this one : )
ReplyDeletePepe and Joe looked like the best of friends. How great that they had each other!
Oh! Those hugging pictures are so cute! They say you learn something everyday. It must be true. Now I know how a wallaby differs from a kangaroo!
ReplyDeletehttp://fivefeetoffun.blogspot.com
How cute! Following from the voiceBoks.com Hopper Strategized. I think my kids will like your Kangaroos!
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life
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ReplyDeleteI bet I know what Joe was whispering to Pepe! Thanks so much for sharing - the story is so beautiful and informative. xx
ReplyDeleteWallabies always seem to be a more human friendly size. I'd like to know more about their nature.
ReplyDelete