Red-necked pademelons are forest-dwelling marsupials. They are brown-grey in color with a cream underbelly and a red-tinted neck and shoulders. Their tail is short and thick. It is rounded and lightly furred.
Red-necked pademelons live in the eastern coastal region of Australia. They can be found from eastern Queensland to the mid-coast of New South Wales. These pademelons live in thick scrub or grassland areas, rainforests and eucalyptus forests.
Red-necked pademelons are nocturnal solitary creatures. Sometimes they may form small groups. They are very shy and generally hide in the forests by day and emerge into the grasslands to graze in the dusk. They will sleep during most of the day in leaf litter and when it is cold they come out to bask in the sun. To communicate with each other Red-necked pademelons use different clicks and thump their hind feet.
Red-necked pademelons are herbivorous (folivore). They graze on grass, roots leaves, and bark.
Little information is known about the reproductive system in Red-necked pademelons. They are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. Breeding season takes place in the autumn and spring in northern Australia, and in the summer in southern Australia. Females usually give birth to a single baby. Gestation lasts around 30 days. After that, the tiny baby must climb up through its mother's fur into her pouch, where it can be nursed. The baby stays in its mother's pouch for protection and feeding. Leaving the pouch is a slow process, and during that time, females continue to nurse, groom, and protect their babies. Red-necked pademelons reach reproductive maturity at 18 months of age.
Habitat destruction, particularly through land clearance of native vegetation for agriculture, dairying, and forestry, is currently the largest threat to Red-necked pademelons.
The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Red-necked pademelon total population size, but this animal is common throughout its known range. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.