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Pademelon Facts & Worksheets

The Pademelon is a small nocturnal marsupial of the genus Thylogale.

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Found in New Guinea and Australia’s forests and island areas, the pademelon is a small nocturnal marsupial of the genus Thylogale. Usually a blend of black, brown, gray, and red, the pademelon was used to be considered valuable and a source of food by early settlers and Aboriginals.

See the fact file below for more information on the Pademelon or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Pademelon worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Etymology and Taxonomy

  • The term “pademelon” originated from badimaliyan, a Dharuk Aboriginal language of Port Jackson. Its genus name, on the other hand, came from the Greek words for “pouch” and “weasel”.
  • There are seven species of pademelon: Tasmanian or red-bellied (Thylogale billardierii), Brown’s (Thylogale browni), dusky (Thylogale brunii), Calaby’s (Thylogale calabyi), mountain (Thylogale lanatus), red-legged (Thylogale stigmatica), and red-necked (Thylogale thetis).

Species

  • Calaby’s pademelon. Also referred to as the alpine wallaby, is an endangered species of marsupial found in Papua New Guinea. It favors finding food in densely forested overgrowth and consumes native leaves and grasses.
  • Tasmanian pademelon. Also called the Rufous-bellied or red-bellied pademelon, it is the only species found in Tasmania. It was initially discovered throughout southeastern Australia. It has a compact body with short and rounded ears, bushier fur over most parts of the body with yellowish to reddish underparts, without any noticeable markings on the face or hips. Its scientific name was named after J. J. H. Labillardière, who collected the first sample on a journey to Van Diemen’s Land in 1792.
  • Brown’s pademelon. Classified as a vulnerable species due to habitat loss, Brown’s pademelon is found in the subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, dry shrubland, and dry lowland grassland in New Guinea. 
  • Dusky pademelon. Also known as the dusky wallaby, is a species that lives in the Aru and Kai Islands and the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands ecoregion of New Guinea. Listed as a vulnerable species, it also thrives in the same kinds of habitat as the Brown’s pademelon. The Dusky pademelon had many names before its current common name, from “philander”, which means “friend of man”, to “Aru Island wallaby”, to kutwal (or kotwal) in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea. 
  • Mountain pademelon. This marsupial species is endangered and is only found in Papua New Guinea.
  • Red-necked pademelon. It is a forest-dwelling marsupial found in the eastern coastal region of Australia. A very shy species and closely related to the red-legged pademelon, it sports a brown-grey coat with a cream underbelly and a red-tinted neck and shoulders. 
  • Red-legged pademelon. A species of least concern, it is found on the northeastern coast of Australia, which is distributed across the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to Tamworth in New South Wales, and in the south-central lowlands of New Guinea. It is generally solitary but may be seen in groups when feeding on fallen fruits, leaves, and grasses. It houses four subspecies: (1) T. s. Stigmatica in the Cairns region of Queensland, (2) T. s. Coxenii in Cape York Peninsula, (3) T. s. Orimo in New Guinea, and (4) T. s. Wilcoxi in southern Queensland and New South Wales. The red-legged pademelon is also the only ground-dwelling wallaby found in the wet tropical rainforests. It typically has soft thick grey-brown fur on the back and cream on the belly, with rusty brown fur on the cheeks, forearms, and both sides of its hind legs. Those species thriving in the rainforests have darker coats compared to those from the open country.

Ecology and Behavior

  • Pademelons wander by hopping on their hind legs. Just like a kangaroo and their wallaby cousins, they carry their front legs into their bodies in front of them. While grazing, they dig tunnels and trails through the foliage. 
  • They are solitary creatures; they are only seen interacting with other individuals during mating season and foraging through the forest from early morning until evening. 
  • Pademelons consume a herbivorous diet, feeding on grass, leaves, herbs, berries, ferns, mosses, and shoots. The Tasmanian pademelon, however, eats nectar-bearing flowers when available, while the red-legged species favors fallen leaves.
  • Their main predators include dogs, foxes, wedge-tail eagles, quolls, Tasmanian devils, and feral cats. Humans are also responsible for their decline due to habitat loss and deforestation. 
  • They are polygynandrous, or they have multiple mates. Fertilization takes place internally with the gestation period lasting for approximately 30 days. Females usually give birth to one baby, called a joey, which is born small, blind, and without fur.
  • A joey will live and grow inside its mother’s pouch until it reaches six months old. Afterward, it will begin wandering outside the pouch and return for food until its mother chooses to wean.
  • Pademelons reach sexual maturity at 14 to 15 months old. They live for four to eight years in the wild, and around 10 years in captivity.

Threats

  • Pademelon meat was used to be a source of food for early settlers and Aboriginals.
  • Aside from being threatened for their meat and fur, their population has declined because of rabbit explosion, given that rabbits graze on the same grasses, making it less available for these marsupials.
  • Tasmanian pademelons make up most of a thylacine’s diet and are still eaten by quolls, Tasmanian devils, and wedge-tailed eagles.

Pademelon Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Pademelon across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Pademelon which used to be considered valuable and a source of food by early settlers and Aboriginals.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Pademelon Facts
  • Creature Feature
  • Fill in the Facts
  • Know Your Pademelons
  • Test Yourself
  • Perks of a Pouch
  • Life Stages
  • Ask Yourself
  • What’s the Difference?
  • Other Pouched Mammals
  • A Pademelon Poem

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Link will appear as Pademelon Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 8, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.