Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

• Background
  • Observed in wild-caught and individuals bred in managed care
  • Similar to other small macropodids
  • Female receptive 1-2 days per estrous cycle
• Courtship
  • Stage 1: Inspection - probably provides information about estrous state of female
    • Male may inspect female for receptivity at any time during estrous cycle
    • Male approaches female from rear, scratches her rump, sniffs her cloaca (urogenital opening)
      • Often accompanied by rapid tail movements in the male
    • Female frequently hisses or hits at male with her forepaws
      • Male may respond in same way, exchanging blow
    • Most common response is for female to move away, ending courtship sequence
  • Stage 2: Rump pawing
    • Male begins to rapidly paw rump of female, typically making soft "clucking" sounds
      • Sometimes forcefully enough to remove hair
      • Preceded and followed by bouts of tail wagging
    • Female remains with forelegs on ground, may hiss loudly
    • If female not receptive, male moves away, repeats approach later with more persistence and vigor
  • Stage 3: Mating
    • Receptive female leans forward on forepaws and raises hindquarters to allow male to mount
    • Male may lie across female's back, grip her flanks with his forelimbs, and initiate copulation
      • Successful copulation followed by another bout of rump pawing, then female moves away
    • Instead of copulation, male may move to front of female and engage in "head rubbing" dominance behavior
      • Positions female's head toward his chest with side-to-side slaps from his forepaws
      • Female may sniff male's chest (sign of submission) but usually hisses and snaps instead

Timing of Breeding (Maynes 1973; Maynes 1977a; Maynes 2008)

• Reproductive pattern
  • Similar to eastern and western grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus and M. fuligenosis
• Long estrous cycle - about 42 days
  • Monovular (1 egg released per cycle)
• Polyestrous (more than 1 estrous cycle/year)
  • May have a postpartum estrous while carrying a pouch young, 45-105 days after birth
    • This is most striking difference from reproductive pattern of grey kangaroos
    • If mating successful at this time, development of new embryo is delayed (embryonic diapause)
  • Some females give birth 6-11 days after previous young leave pouch
  • Breeding may occur throughout year, but most births occur between February and July
    • Much more sensitive to environmental conditions and flexible in their breeding pattern than tammar wallabies

(Maynes 1973)

• Long gestation period - about 35 days
• Embryonic diapause (delayed development of the embryo)
  • Follows successful mating of a female carrying a pouch young
  • A new blastocyst (early embryonic stage) is arrested at an early stage of development and stored in the female
  • After previous young is out of pouch, development starts up again
  • Prevents occupation of pouch by 2 young of different ages
  • Several well-documented cases observed in managed care
  • Seen in most other macropodids but not other marsupials

(Maynes 1973; Maynes 1976; Maynes 2008)

• Birth
  • Litter size: 1
  • About 0.5 g (0.02 oz) at birth
  • Young crawls from birth canal into pouch, attaches to 1 of the 4 teats
  • Morning after birth - pouch opening contracts, teats develop small "buds" at tip

• Infant - Pouch Life
  • Young suckles on same teat until maturity
  • First excursions out of pouch at 23-25 wk (6 mo) old
    • Can hop well
    • Has tight, well-insulating fur
    • Can maintain body temperature for short periods
  • Permanently quits pouch at about 30 wk (7 mo) old
    • Body weight about 750 g (26 oz) - about 21% of mother's weight
    • Has full coat with guard hairs
    • Can maintain constant body temperature
• Subadult
  • Weaning - completed at 9-12 months old
    • Young can be up to 50% of mother's weight by time fully weaned
  • Mother may give birth again while young out of pouch but not fully weaned
• Adult
  • Sexual maturity
    • Females
      • 1 year old in Australia
      • 2-3 years old on Kawau Island, New Zealand
      • 11.5-16 months old in managed care
    • Males
      • 20-24 months old in the wild
      • About 22 months old in managed care

In the wild

(Maynes 1977a; Miller 2001)

• About 6–8 years, on average

In managed care

• Median life expectancy
  •  5.5 years (AZA 2023)

(Miller 2001)

• Common threats
• Predation by feral cats and foxes
• Collisions with road vehicles
• Habitat fragmentation

Close-up of a parma wallaby joey.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Maynes (1973)
Maynes (1976)
Maynes (1977a)
Maynes (2008)
Miller (2001)
Ord et al. (1999)