2012 $1 Fine Silver FRUNC Coin – Mareeba Rock-Wallaby

NB Official release date 6th September 2011

In 2012 the Royal Australian Mint continues its long running Kangaroo Series with the Mareeba Rock-Wallaby. Wallabies are slightly coy members of the macropod family, and the Mareeba Rock-Wallaby is no exception, preferring the cover of night for its feeding and socialising most of the year round. Identifying a Mareeba Rock-Wallaby can be difficult without the help of a microscope. Mareeba Rock Wallabies are almost indistinguishable from several other “   Petrogale”  species, including Sharman’s Rock-Wallaby and the Allied Rock-Wallaby. These endearing Australians all have long flexible tails and well-adapted feet for hopping over rocky terrain. The Mareeba Rock-Wallaby’s most significant distinction is the distribution, the shape and number of their chromosomes. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Mareeba Rock-Wallaby, named after an area in Queensland where it is found, was declared a separate species.