How many baby Rufous hare-wallabys are in a litter?
A Rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus) usually gives birth to around 1 babies.
Upon birth, they weight 259 grams (0.57 lbs) and measure 8.5 cm (0′ 4″). They are a member of the Macropodidae family (genus: Lagorchestes). An adult Rufous hare-wallaby grows up to a size of 34.2 cm (1′ 2″).
To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.
The rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), also known as the mala, is a small macropod found in Australia. It was formerly widely distributed across the western half of the continent but is now confined to Bernier Island and Dorre Island Islands off Western Australia. Although once widespread in the central and western deserts, predation by feral cats and foxes, and destructive wildfires, caused the last wild population on mainland Australia to go extinct in the early 1990s. It is currently classified as vulnerable. Mala prefer spinifex sandplain habitat, the animals build burrows under large spinifex hummocks. The burrows are tunnel-like structures with a spinifex roof. This provides a cool refuge during the heat of the day. In summer, they are likely to dig deeper burrows to withstand searing desert temperaturesThe rufous hare-wallaby has rufous-grey fur and is the smallest hare-wallaby, weighing just 800-1600 grams. It is a solitary nocturnal herbivore that feeds on herbs, leaves and seeds. It is currently being reintroduced to mainland Australia, notably in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. In July 2019, the first reintroductions into the Newhaven wildlife sanctuary were conducted, with the release of 30 individuals into the 9,400 hectare, feral predator-free area.
Other animals of the family Macropodidae
Rufous hare-wallaby is a member of the Macropodidae, as are these animals:
- Eastern grey kangaroo with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Toolache wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Monjon with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Agile wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Red kangaroo with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Parma wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Swamp wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Proserpine rock-wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Black-flanked rock-wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Banded hare-wallaby with 1 babies per pregnancy
Animals that share a litter size with Rufous hare-wallaby
Those animals also give birth to 1 babies at once:
- Northern naked-tailed armadillo
- Pig-tailed langur
- Zanzibar red colobus
- Grey seal
- Mule deer
- Blue wildebeest
- Eastern falanouc
- Northern cave bat
- Melanomys caliginosus
- Tapeti
Animals that get as old as a Rufous hare-wallaby
Other animals that usually reach the age of 8 years:
- Yellow-bellied marmot with 8 years
- Crowned lemur with 9.17 years
- North African hedgehog with 7 years
- Mongolian gazelle with 7 years
- Island fox with 8 years
- Doria’s tree-kangaroo with 8 years
- European mole with 7 years
- Mexican mouse opossum with 7 years
- Sarcophilus laniarius with 8.17 years
- Whiskered bat with 9.25 years
Animals with the same weight as a Rufous hare-wallaby
What other animals weight around 1.41 kg (3.12 lbs)?
- Northern olingo usually reaching 1.2 kgs (2.65 lbs)
- Menzies’ echymipera usually reaching 1.2 kgs (2.65 lbs)
- Steppe polecat usually reaching 1.69 kgs (3.73 lbs)
- Little Swan Island hutia usually reaching 1.5 kgs (3.31 lbs)
- Northern olingo usually reaching 1.2 kgs (2.65 lbs)
- Llanos long-nosed armadillo usually reaching 1.15 kgs (2.54 lbs)
- Gambian mongoose usually reaching 1.64 kgs (3.62 lbs)
- Boodie usually reaching 1.45 kgs (3.2 lbs)
- Pichi usually reaching 1.49 kgs (3.28 lbs)
- Common opossum usually reaching 1.14 kgs (2.51 lbs)