Swamp Wallaby at Watson, ACT
Identification history
| Wallabia bicolor | 2 Sep 2025 | DonFletcher | ||
| Wallabia bicolor | 1 Sep 2025 | DonFletcher | ||
| Macropus giganteus | 1 Sep 2025 | CarbonAI | ||
| Unverified | 1 Sep 2025 | pennygosling |
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User's notes
White wallaby with dark tail, ears, paws and around eyes.
9 comments
DonFletcher
wrote:
1 Sep 2025
Hi @pennygosling
Hard to tell but I think this is probably Wallabia bicolor, Black (Swamp) Wallaby. This is a leucistic or acromelanistic individual (or both). The latter condition has not previously been recorded in any marsupial species as far as I have been able to find out. So this individual will have a high price on its head. Is the location you submitted correct? In any case let us suppress the location for the present time. But if that location is the real one, there will probably be other sightings and posts to social media.
Hard to tell but I think this is probably Wallabia bicolor, Black (Swamp) Wallaby. This is a leucistic or acromelanistic individual (or both). The latter condition has not previously been recorded in any marsupial species as far as I have been able to find out. So this individual will have a high price on its head. Is the location you submitted correct? In any case let us suppress the location for the present time. But if that location is the real one, there will probably be other sightings and posts to social media.
pennygosling
wrote:
2 Sep 2025
@DonFletcher ooh, so cool!! We only had iPhones with us so the quality of the photo is poor. You seem knowledgeable - is there a way we can post a video that shows its tail? Yep, parks and wildlife advised suppressing the location. :-)
abread111
wrote:
2 Sep 2025
The Friends of Mount Majura newsletter for April had a story on the White Wallaby (somewhat edited to disguise the location)
Bronwyn Wiseman reports that when she was running on the track (roughly in the same area), she saw a white wallaby! Albinos are rare so if you see it on the mountain, please take a photo and send it to us or put it on Canberra NatureMapr.
Bronwyn sent an email to FoMM about it but did not get a photo at the time.
Bronwyn Wiseman reports that when she was running on the track (roughly in the same area), she saw a white wallaby! Albinos are rare so if you see it on the mountain, please take a photo and send it to us or put it on Canberra NatureMapr.
Bronwyn sent an email to FoMM about it but did not get a photo at the time.
DonFletcher
wrote:
2 Sep 2025
@abread111, For clarification, there has been an all white kangaroo in previous years (albino or fully leucistic) but this Wallaby is acromelanistic with black paws, ears, eye mask, and muzzle. Is that what Bronwyn reported?
BronwynWiseman
wrote:
2 Sep 2025
@abread111 @DonFletcher @pennygosling Yes, this is what I'd seen in March but didn't have a camera with me. So good someone could see it again!
DonFletcher
wrote:
2 Sep 2025
@abread111 @BronwynWiseman @pennygosling
I was mistaken. There are at least two other reports of acromelanistic wallabies (reported as leucistic), but both are Red Necked Wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus). Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby) and Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby) The Majura Wallabia bicolor has a narrow black tail just like a normally coloured member of the species, but the RNWs have pale tails that are much thicker at the base just like normally coloured RNWs.
I was mistaken. There are at least two other reports of acromelanistic wallabies (reported as leucistic), but both are Red Necked Wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus). Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby) and Notamacropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby) The Majura Wallabia bicolor has a narrow black tail just like a normally coloured member of the species, but the RNWs have pale tails that are much thicker at the base just like normally coloured RNWs.
CathBee
wrote:
1 Nov 2025
@abread111 @BronwynWiseman @pennygosling @DonFletcher
I sighted this wallaby today on Mount Majura. I was stunned to see it - and it moved fast - so no photo unfortunately.
I sighted this wallaby today on Mount Majura. I was stunned to see it - and it moved fast - so no photo unfortunately.
pennygosling
wrote:
1 Nov 2025
Oh, @CathBee I’m so glad s/he is still okay!! Definitely fast. Such an unusual colour pattern!!
@DonFletcher Maybe you could collate the locations and see if it’s staying in a home area?!
@DonFletcher Maybe you could collate the locations and see if it’s staying in a home area?!
Location information
- Maps Mount Majura
- Places Watson, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- pennygosling Recorded by
-
Collections
pennygosling NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Wallabia bicolor Kangaroos & Wallabies Mammals
Species information
- Wallabia bicolor Scientific name
- Swamp Wallaby Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes