# Pademelon

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{{Short description|Small terrestrial marsupial}}
{{About|the animal|the plant|paddy melon}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|name = Pademelon<ref name="msw3">{{MSW3 Groves|pages=69–70}}</ref>
|image = Thylogale billardierii.jpg
|image_caption = [Tasmanian pademelon](/source/Tasmanian_pademelon), ''Thylogale billardierii''
|taxon = Thylogale
|authority = [J. E. Gray](/source/John_Edward_Gray), 1837
|type_species = [''Halmaturus'' (''Thylogale'') ''eugenii''](/source/Red-necked_pademelon)
|type_species_authority = [J. E. Gray](/source/John_Edward_Gray), 1837<br />(=''Halmaturus thetis'' [Lesson](/source/Ren%C3%A9-Primev%C3%A8re_Lesson), 1828)
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = 7, see text
}}

'''Pademelons''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|d|i|m|ɛ|l|ə|n}}) are small [marsupial](/source/marsupial)s in the [genus](/source/genus) '''''Thylogale''''', found in [Australia](/source/Australia), [New Guinea](/source/New_Guinea), and surrounding islands. They are some of the smallest members of the [macropod family](/source/Macropodidae), which includes the similar-looking but larger [kangaroo](/source/kangaroo)s and [wallabies](/source/Wallaby). Pademelons are distinguished by their small size and their short, thick, and sparsely haired tails. Like other marsupials, they carry their young in a [pouch](/source/Pouch_(marsupial)).

==Etymology==
The word "pademelon" comes from the word ''badimaliyan'' in [Dharug](/source/Dharug_language), an [Australian Aboriginal language](/source/Australian_Aboriginal_languages) spoken near what is now [Port Jackson](/source/Port_Jackson), New South Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |title=15 Weird Aussie Animal Names |url=https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/our-priorities/wildlife/wildlife-stories/weird-animals-names-australia/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=The Nature Conservancy Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref> The scientific name ''Thylogale'' uses the Greek words for "pouch" and "weasel."<ref name=Rose2018>{{cite journal|last1=Rose|first1=R.W.|last2=Rose|first2= R.K.|title=''Thylogale billardierii'' (Diprotodontia: Macropodidae)|journal= Mammalian Species|volume=50|issue=965|pages=100–108|year=2018|doi=10.1093/mspecies/sey012|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Description==
Along with the [rock-wallabies](/source/Rock-wallaby) and the [hare-wallabies](/source/Lagorchestes), the pademelons are among the smallest members of the macropod family. Mature male pademelons are larger than females, with an average weight of about 7&nbsp;kg and height of 60&nbsp;cm. Mature females weigh around 3.8&nbsp;kg.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.warrawongws.com.au/courses/pluginfile.php/72/mod_resource/content/1/Red%20Necked%20Pademelon%20Wallaby%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf | title=Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary }}</ref>

==Species==
There are seven recognised species within genus ''Thylogale'':<ref>{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Thylogale/classification/ | title=ADW: Thylogale: CLASSIFICATION | website=[Animal Diversity Web](/source/Animal_Diversity_Web) }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !!Distribution
|-
|120px ||[Tasmanian pademelon](/source/Tasmanian_pademelon) or red-bellied pademelon, ''Thylogale billardierii''||120px
|-
| ||[Brown's pademelon](/source/Brown's_pademelon), ''Thylogale browni''||120px
|-
|120px || [Dusky pademelon](/source/Dusky_pademelon), ''Thylogale brunii''||120px
|-
| ||[Calaby's pademelon](/source/Calaby's_pademelon), ''Thylogale calabyi''||120px
|-
| ||[Mountain pademelon](/source/Mountain_pademelon), ''Thylogale lanatus<!--no longer recognized-->''||120px
|-
|120px ||[Red-legged pademelon](/source/Red-legged_pademelon), ''Thylogale stigmatica''||120px
|-
|120px ||[Red-necked pademelon](/source/Red-necked_pademelon), ''Thylogale thetis''||120px
|-
|}

==Distribution and habitat==
The [red-legged pademelon](/source/red-legged_pademelon) can be found in the coastal regions of [Queensland](/source/Queensland) and [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), and in south-central [New Guinea](/source/New_Guinea). In some areas, its range has been drastically reduced.

The red-bellied or [Tasmanian pademelon](/source/Tasmanian_pademelon) is abundant in [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), although it was once found throughout the southeastern parts of mainland Australia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rose |first1=R.W. |last2=McCartney |first2=D.J. |year=1982 |title=Reproduction of the Red-Bellied Pademelon, ''Thylogale billardierii'' (Marsupialia) |journal=Australian Wildlife Research |volume=9 |pages=27–32 |doi=10.1071/wr9820027 |url=http://www.zoo.utas.edu.au/RR/pdfRose/reproduction%20in%20the%20red-bellied%20pademelon.pdf |access-date=17 December 2011 |archive-date=26 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426054951/http://www.zoo.utas.edu.au/RR/pdfRose/reproduction%20in%20the%20red-bellied%20pademelon.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [dusky pademelon](/source/dusky_pademelon) lives in New Guinea and surrounding islands. It was previously called the Aru Islands wallaby. Before that, it was called the "philander" ("friend of man"), which is the name it bears in the second volume of [Cornelis de Bruijn](/source/Cornelis_de_Bruijn)'s ''Travels'', originally published in 1711. The [Latin name](/source/Binomial_nomenclature) of this species is called after De Bruijn.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/bn-bz/bruijn/cornelis_de_bruijn5.html |website=Livius.org |title=Cornelis de Bruijn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713202557/http://www.livius.org/bn-bz/bruijn/cornelis_de_bruijn5.html |archive-date=13 July 2014 |first1=Jona |last1=Lendering}}</ref><ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Filander}}</ref>

The natural habitat of the pademelon is in thick scrubland or dense forested undergrowth. It also makes tunnels through long grasses and bushes in swampy country.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

==Threats==
Pademelon meat used to be considered valuable and was eaten by settlers and [indigenous Australians](/source/indigenous_Australians).<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Driessen|first=Michael M.|year=1992|title=Effects of hunting and rainfall on Bennett's wallaby and Tasmanian pademelon populations|publisher=University of Tasmania|url=https://eprints.utas.edu.au/17321/|access-date=2021-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Milks|first=Annemieke|title=A Review of Ethnographic Use of Wooden Spears and Implications for Pleistocene Hominin Hunting|journal=Open Quaternary|volume=6|issue=1|year=2020|doi=10.5334/oq.85 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Aside from being killed for their meat and soft fur, their numbers have been reduced by the introduction of non-native predators such as [cats](/source/cats_in_Australia), [dogs](/source/Free-ranging_dog), and [red foxes](/source/Red_foxes_in_Australia). The rapid increase in [Australia's rabbit population](/source/rabbits_in_Australia) has also caused problems as rabbits graze on the same grasses, making less available for the pademelons. Clearing of land for urbanisation has pushed the larger wallabies and kangaroos onto land that previously was occupied by pademelons with little competition.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wiggins|first1=Natasha L.|last2=Williamson|first2=Grant J.|last3=McCallum|first3=Hamish I.|last4=McMahon|first4=Clive R.|last5=Bowman|first5=David M. J. S.|title=Shifts in macropod home ranges in response to wildlife management interventions|journal=Wildlife Research|volume=37|issue=5|page=379|year=2010|doi=10.1071/wr09144}}</ref>

Tasmanian pademelons were an important part of the diet of the now-extinct [thylacine](/source/thylacine), and they are still preyed on by [quoll](/source/quoll)s, [Tasmanian devil](/source/Tasmanian_devil)s, and [wedge-tailed eagle](/source/wedge-tailed_eagle)s. Despite these predators, Tasmania and its outlying smaller islands have large numbers of pademelons and every year many are culled to keep their numbers sustainable.<ref>{{cite web | title=ABC News | website=Annual wallaby cull draws criticism | date=2011-07-25 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-25/20110725-maria-island-cull/2809526 | ref={{sfnref | Annual wallaby cull draws criticism | 2011}} | access-date=2021-08-07}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|pademelon}}
*{{cite web |title=''Thylogale'' Gray, 1837 |publisher=Atlas of Living Australia |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/e344dfe6-a0ae-4fd2-b1d0-baa8de1a9592}}

{{Diprotodontia|M.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q668527}}

Category:Macropods
Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray
Category:Marsupials of Australia

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pademelon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pademelon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pademelon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.