How Do Wallabies Sleep?

How do wallabies sleep? Wallabies sleep in a horizontal position just like us. A sleeping wallabies is lying on the ground on its side with its forelimbs supporting its head.  Wallabies are mainly nocturnal animals which means they are the types that sleep during the day but awake at night. Other similar species are mainly nocturnal and crepuscular types. You can find that they are most active during the night and at periods of dusk and dawn. Wallabies usually use the day to get some sleep and rest. Wallabies are also native to Australia where temperatures during the day can get unpleasant for most animals and even humans. In this article, you’ll learn how do wallabies sleep?

Most Active of them All

There are some types of wallaby that are native to Australia especially the central region making them mainly nocturnal. These wallabies rest during the day where they have a place in the shade. You can expect them to be quite active from dusk until dawn. You might see a wallaby during the day but they are much more active during the night, in the late evening and the early morning. 

You might see eastern and western grey wallabies grazing during the day although these animals are nocturnal. There are plenty of wallabies living in New South Wales and also in the Western parts of Australia during the day. There are many more of them in the minutes around sunset as well as the minutes before sunrise. They usually get their rest during the day. 

Where do Wallabies Slumber?

Wallabies can also use places to rest where they are protected from the heat of the sun. They actively look for places where they can rest in the shade during the day. Red wallabies find small bushes that are native to some areas of the country. They provide the shade they need during the day. Red wallabies typically avoid outcrops or caves. 

Other types of wallabies sleep during the day in bushland that’s close to open grasslands. They rest and eat in the woodland areas during the day, while they move to open grasslands to feed at dusk. There you can see them in their large mobs. They usually spend about six to ten hours grazing per day, while they move about and rest the remaining time. 

No to Deep Sleep for Wallabies

Chances to see wild wallabies in deep sleep are very low. Wallabies have a good sense of when predators are around and they won’t fall into a deep sleep. They are experts in finding concealed places so you will rarely see a wallaby in its natural sleeping position.  Wallabies actually like comfortable sleeping positions. They can use their claws to dig a little bit in the ground and remove the hot top sand. You can find them just chilling on the cooler dirt. 

Sleeping Habits

Wallabies spend their time moving about, feeding and sleeping. There is no simple answer to the questions of how long do wallabies sleep. You just can’t compare the sleeping habits of humans to the sleeping habits of wallabies. Wallabies must watch out for predators and therefore cannot simply sleep for hours without any interruptions like humans. They do have a deep sleep from time to time but they typically spend their day grazing and resting. There are some people that believe that wallabies spend about six to ten hours a day grazing, which is interrupted by other activities such as resting, moving about, mating, and fighting. 

Tree Wallabies

Some wallabies actually sleep in trees. They are called tree wallabies, which is a perfect name because it perfectly describes their habitat and behavior.  Wallabies do not sleep with their eyes open. Only animals with eyes but no eyelids will be sleeping with their eyes open. Mammals like the kangaroo have eyelids and therefore sleep with their eyes closed. There are actually many animals which sleep with their eyes open. 

How do Tree Wallabies Sleep

Tree wallabies are very special wallabies and look totally different than their bigger relatives like the kangaroo and other types. Tree-wallabies are marsupials just like their larger relatives but they have adapted for living on trees. They can be found in northeastern Queensland and the tropical regions of New Guinea and they are the only true macropod living in trees. Tree -wallabies sleep in a tree wherever they feel comfortable. Wallabies do not sleep in an upright position. Their sleeping position is, in fact, very similar to humans. When wallabies want to sleep, they lie down on the ground, preferably in the shade. They prefer to lie on their side or their back and they use their forelimbs to support their chest and head. 

Conclusion

Keep in mind that Wallabies are mainly nocturnal and crepuscular animals. This means that they are most active at night and the periods of dusk and dawn. Eastern greys and western greys are also active during the day because their habitat is not in the driest parts of Australia. However, you will see most wallabies at dusk and dawn. Wallabies usually sleep during the day in a horizontal position with their head tilted up. They also close their eyes while they are sleeping.  Most wallabies sleep on the ground, only the tree-wallabies is a noticeable exception. The tree-wallabies is the only arboreal macropod.