Tammar wallaby

The tammar wallaby also known as the dama wallaby or darma wallaby, is a small macropod native to South and Western Australia as well as some nearby islands. It may have been the first macropod to have been seen by a European. Its range was much more extensive in the past but has been severely reduced since European colonisation. Nevertheless, the tammar remains common within its limited range and is listed under Least Concern by the IUCN. It has been introduced to New Zealand and reintroduced to some areas of Australia where it has been previously eradicated. This species is largely gray in colour and is the smallest wallaby. At least three subspecies are known.

The tammar has several notable adaptations, including the ability to retain energy while hopping, colour vision and the ability to drink seawater. It is a nocturnal species and spends nighttime in grassland habitat, and daytime in shrub. It is also very gregarious and has a seasonal, promiscuous mating system. A female tammar can nurse a joey in her pouch while keeping an embryo in its uterus. The tammar is a model species for research on macropods, and on marsupials in general. It is one of many organisms to have had its genome sequenced, which has allowed greater understanding of some immune genes as well as the discovery of new ones.