CAUGHT ON THE HOP

species Australia's iconic marsupials bounce 20 around a varied range of habitats, where contact with humans can be a life or death encounter

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Stefano Unterthiner is an award-winning Italian photographer, specialising in the life stories of animals in the wild. He also focuses on conservation and environmental issues, particularly human-wildlife conflict and coexistence. See more of his work at: stefano unterthiner.com.

Rock stars

Mareeba rock-wallabies pause among the boulders of Granite Gorge Nature Park, northern Queensland. Weighing under 5kg, this is one of the smallest of about 50 marsupial species of the macropod ('big foot') family in Australia, including four species of kangaroo, plus wallabies, wallaroos and pademelons.

Night vision

Most marsupials - including this eastern grey kangaroo, photographed under a full moon in Murramarang National Park, New South Wales - are largely nocturnal or crepuscular, resting in shade during the day. Sexual dimorphism is also common: male eastern greys can weigh over 60kg, twice as much as females.

Snout and about

Curious Mareeba rock-wallabies check out Stefano's lens in Granite Gorge Nature Park. Among the most social of macropods, this rare species its range limited to a small area of Queensland - forms groups of several dozen individuals.

Fight club

tussle at Eastern grey kangaroos Halls Gap in Grampians National Park, Victoria. Males 'box' with their front paws to establish dominance, the strongest being the most likely to mate with a receptive female. "This pair seemed to be play fighting, as if in training for serious combat," says Stefano. "When you've seen big males really battling in earnest, you know the difference!"

Forest forager