MINA — The town of Mina is not where one would typically expect to find a wallaby on the loose.

The word about a baby kangaroo loose in the town of Mina spread across Facebook Tuesday morning. While the Sheriff’s Department and town officials had had no reports, multiple residents reported sightings near Route 430 on social media.

Kelly Thornton, owner of Small Town Shelter in Sherman, was one that spread the word, and said what people were calling a baby kangaroo was actually a wallaby. “The guy that owns it owns three of them,” Thornton said. “It is legal in New York, you do not need a permit. I know he owns other exotic animals as well, but I don’t know what exactly.”

The difference between a kangaroo and a wallaby is a matter of size and habitat. Kangaroos are larger than wallabies and have longer hind legs and different teeth. Kangaroos are also known to live on plains and eat primarily grass while wallabies live in forests and eat a different range of plants.

Exotic marsupials are legal to own in New York. The list includes wallabies, kangaroos, sugar gliders and short-tailed opossums. Only nine states — Alaska, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska and Washington — have laws against owning pet wallabies. Thornton said people go to the man’s house all the time to see the exotic animals.

“One got away and now no one can catch it,” Thornton said. “I knew they were there so it was not a shock for me but people have been talking.”

Thornton warned residents on the Small Town Shelter Facebook page to be careful near the animal if they see it, as they are known to have strong back legs. As of Tuesday afternoon, the wallaby had not been caught.