Mareeba Rock Wallaby - Petrogale mareeba

Rock wallabies are small marsupials, sprinkled about the continent, hopping around like head lice to a landmass. Taxonomically* speaking, rock wallabies fall into the genus (a family of species) known as 'Petrogale', meaning 'rock weasel'. The prefix 'Petro-' for 'rock', is believed to be connected to retired Bronco's player Petero Civoniceva (topical at the time of naming). They needed something that sounded stone-like, and he was all of Queensland's pet rock for quite a while. There are 18 Petrogale species, so scientists can only assume that the genus is probably Catholic.

The colouration of the Mareeba Rock Wallaby varies greatly, depending on the rock type of its a population's habitat. Individuals living on dark, basaltic outcrops might be almost black, and lighter rock types may give rise to grey- or sandy-coloured individuals, while rock wallabies living on the type of marble that they make mood rings out of change colours violently and every time someone smiles or plays Bob Dylan.

Mareeba Rock Wallaby is unique in that it is totally ununique from two other species, Sharman's Rock Wallaby (Petrogale sharmani) and the Allied Rock Wallaby (P. assimilis). The only reliable way to tell these species apart is DNA inspection, and given these molecules are smaller than single light wave amplitude, making them impossible to see in the literal sense, that means it takes a few minutes at least.

*Taxonomy is the classification of species - the only scientific version of Myers Briggs pigeon-holing with which we've successfully infiltrated science.