Thylogale stigmatica, or red-legged pademelon, is found in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, they can be found between the tip of Cape York to the southern portion of Tamworth. In New Guinea, they are located in the southern Fly River area.

Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )

Red-legged pademelons have thick, soft fur and a short stout tail. They also have round ears, a naked nose, and red-brown markings on their cheeks, thighs and forearms. Pademelons that live in dark forest regions have dark grey-brown coats and cream colored bellies. Populations that live in open areas have pale grey-brown coats and pale grey bellies. Their hindfeet have no first digit, while the second and third digits are fused (a condition called syndactyly, common to all members of the family Macropodidae). The fourth digit is long.

Pademelons are small when compared to other species in Macropodidae; their average height is 0.762 m. Males have head and body lengths ranging from 470 to 536 mm. Their tails vary from 372 to 473 mm. A male’s weight ranges from 3.7 to 6.8 kg.

Female pademelons are smaller than males with head and body lengths ranging from 386 to 520 mm. Their tails can be between 301 to 445 mm. Females weigh between 2.5 to 4.2 kg.

Range mass: 2.5 to 6.8 kg.

Range length: 386 to 536 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

• Terrestrial

On the eastern coast of Australia, pademelons can be found in rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests, and dry vine scrub forests. Northern populations use the grassy forest edge and inner portions of the forest. Pademelons in the southern regions of their habitat rarely venture beyond the forest edge. Thylogale stigmatica is also located in the lowland rainforests and low mixed savanna thickets near swamps in the southern Fly River area of New Guinea.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest

The diet of red-legged pademelons is primarily composed of fallen leaves and fruits. They have also been known to eat fresh leaves. Some of the leaves they consume are known to be poisonous. To combat this, they use an enzyme called GST. One of the favorite foods of T. stigmatica is the Moreton bay fig (Fiscus macrophylla). Other fruits that make up part of their diet are the Burdekin plum in the northern region and berries. Some plants that make up their diet are dicotyledonous plants, Fishborne ferns, and king orchids. During nocturnal grazing, they consume grasses like Paspalum notatum and Cyrtococum oxyphylum. They have also been known to eat the bark of trees, fungus, and cicadas.

Animal Foods: insects

Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers

Other Foods: fungus

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore )

The dingo’s main diet is composed of red-legged pademelons when they are available. Thylogale stigmatica has the potential to damage or kill young saplings when eating or stepping on them. There has also been a case of crops being eaten.

Pademelons are subject to various parasites such as coccidiosis (infects the intestines), ticks, and toxoplasmosis (believed to come from cats).

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

• coccidia (coccidiosis)
• ticks (Acari)
• toxoplasma (toxoplasmosis)

The main predators of T. stigmatica are dingos (Canis lupus dingo), tiger quolls (Dasyurus maculatus), amethystine pythons (Morelia amethistina), and domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The rate of predation increases following a forest fire, when there is less forest cover.

They detect predators by spreading out when foraging. Each pademelon can watch for predators in its vicinity. If a predator is seen, a warning to others in the area is spread by a thumping sound made with the hind legs.

Known Predators:

• dingos Canis lupus dingo 
• tiger quolls Dasyurus maculatus 
• amethystine pythons Morelia amethistina 
• domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris 

Red-legged pademelons communicate mainly through sound. The soft clucking sound used by a mother to call her young is similar to the sound that is made by a male trying to court a female. When frightened, they give an alarm thump, which is created with their hindfeet to alert surrounding pademelons. It is at this time that they use the pre-made runways in the forest to quickly retreat.

Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

Perception Channels: visual ; acoustic ; vibrations

The maximum life span recorded is 9.7 years in the wild.

Range lifespan

Status: wild: 9.7 (high) years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 9.7 years.

Thylogale stigmatica is polygynous, and as a result of its solitary behavior, mating is one of the few times they can be found together in the wild. When males begin the courtship ritual, they make soft clucking sounds to let their intentions be known. Females that reject a courting male make harsh rasping sounds.

When fighting over a female, two males hold their heads back to protect their eyes while standing upright on their hindlegs. The object of the fight is to swing their claws at each other and knock the opponent off balance. When a male has accomplished this, he kicks the opponent in the abdomen. The fighting can often lead to loss of fur.

Mating System: polygynous

Red-legged pademelons give birth year round in captivity. In the wild, births usually occur between October and June and result in one young. Postpartum mating usually occurs 2 to 12 hours after giving birth. As the young reaches the blastocyst phase of development, embryonic diapause occurs.

The estrus cycle generally lasts 31 days and is followed by a gestation period of 28 to 30 days. When the young is born, the infant climbs into the pouch of the mother pademelon with its well-developed forelimbs, as is true of all marsupials. The infant stays in the pouch for 184 days.

While it is in the pouch, an infant's sex is distinguishable even after 21 to 28 days. Vibrissae appear 56 to 70 days after birth. The pinnae become erect after 105 to 126 days, and teat detachment occurs 91 to 126 days after birth. The hair becomes visible after 133 to 147 days, and the eyes open after 112 to 126 days. Emergence from the pouch is measured by the condition of the feet of the pademelon, which become dirty once it leaves the pouch. Emergence occurs between 133 to 182 days after birth.

After leaving the pouch, the young only uses one teat, leaving the other for its sibling. Mothers produce two types of milk while lactating. Weaning generally occurs between 44 to 111 days after the young permanently leaves the pouch. Sexual maturity is reached 307 to 412 days (females) and 451 to 522 days (males) after leaving the pouch.

Breeding interval: The peak season for breeding occurs in the spring but can occur year round.

Breeding season: Mating can be observed from October to June.

Range number of offspring: 1 to 1.

Range gestation period: 28 to 30 days.

Range weaning age: 44 to 111 days.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 307 to 412 days.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 451 to 522 days.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); viviparous ; embryonic diapause ; post-partum estrous

Average number of offspring: 1.

After emerging from the pouch, the mother protects and teaches the infant what and where to forage. Even after pademelons leave the pouch, suckling of milk from the mother occurs to supplement the diet. The role of father pademelons in the caring and raising of the young is unknown.

Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)

Clearing of the red-legged pademelons' habitat is cause for concern, but at this time there are enough parks and reserves to keep T. stigmatica off of conservation lists and keep their status secure.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Pademelons may eat crops very rarely.

Negative Impacts: crop pest

Pademelons, along with many other species of Macropodidae in Australia, are important members of the ecosystems in which they live and are important ecotourism attractions.

Positive Impacts: ecotourism