Ecology and Life History
Mostly nocturnal, tammar wallabies spend much of their time foraging. In winter their home ranges are about 16 ha (40 acres), but in the dry summers they range further afield to search for quality food, needing about 42 ha (100 acres) of space. Tammar home ranges overlap with those of conspecifics.
During the day, tammars stay close to scrub for shade and move out to more open grassland by nightfall. Like all macropods, the tammar is herbivorous. They are known to both graze and browse, but the latter is less effective, as they commonly drop leaves when chewing on them. When eating large leaves, tammars handle them with their forelimbs. This species spends more time chewing its food than other similar sized macropods, which likely aids digestion. Tammars commonly feed on acacia seeds. Other species consumed include heart-leaved poison (Gastrolobium bilobum), small-flowered wallaby grass (Austrodanthonia setacea), and marri (Corymbia calophylla). Tammars survive on several islands that have no fresh water, subsisting on seawater and the moisture in plants.
The tammar rests in two positions: a "sitting tail forward" position, in which the hind legs are outstreached with tail brought forward in between, the body prone and the head above ground; and a "lying" position, in which the animal lies on its side with the head touching the ground. The former position is typically used during the day for long periods, and the latter position is used at night for brief periods. Tammars are known to live in stable groups, which lessens the chance of an individual being taken by a predator. As the group increases in size, tammars spend more time foraging, grooming and interacting and less time being vigilant and moving around. Predators of the tammar include dingos, feral cats, red foxes and wedge-tailed eagles. They may also have been preyed upon by the extinct thylacine. Tammars appear to respond more to the sight than the sound of predators. They can also use their acute sense of smell to detect a predator. When a predator is detected, a tammar will alert others by thumping its foot. When lost, young tammars are known to emit a coarse screeching call and adult females may respond with a similar call.
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