Eastern barred bandicoot
| Eastern barred bandicoot | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Peramelemorphia |
| Family: | Peramelidae |
| Genus: | Perameles |
| Species: | P. gunnii |
| Binomial name | |
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Perameles gunnii Gray, 1838 |
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| Eastern barred bandicoot range (green — native, pink — reintroduced as native population is extinct) |
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The eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) is a small, rabbit-sized marsupial native to Tasmania and Victoria, southeastern Australia. It is one of three extant bandicoot species in the genus Perameles.
The eastern barred bandicoot weighs less than 2 kg (4.4 lb) and has a short tail and three to four whitish bars across the rump. The Eastern barred bandicoot has two separated populations, one on the mainland of Australia and one on the island of Tasmania. The Tasmanian form is somewhat larger than the mainland form as the average adult mass is 750 g in Victoria and 1,000 g in Tasmania. It lives for just two to three years and is not gregarious. Males occupy large home ranges compared to females and only consort with females for mating. This species is nocturnal. It emerges from its nest at dusk to forage for a variety of invertebrates including crickets, beetles and earthworms. During the day it rests in a grass-lined nest. When foraging, it uses its long nose to probe deep into the soil and then digs eagerly when it locates food. Females have 8 nipples and can produce a maximum of 5 young in one litter with an average of 2 to 3 young. Gestation lasts just 12 days—this is one of the shortest gestation periods of any mammal. Young are weaned at 55 days and emerged juveniles remain dependent upon the mother and forage with her until day 86. Given ideal conditions, females can have up to five litters per year although reproduction becomes depressed in summer and ceases altogether in times of drought.
The eastern barred bandicoot was once distributed across the Basalt Plains of south west Victoria, and in Tasmania. Due to predation by introduced foxes and cats, along with land-clearing for farming practices, the Victorian subspecies is critically endangered. Since 1989, eight reintroduction sites have been established across the bandicoot's former range. The conservation of Eastern barred bandicoots in Victoria now depends upon the success of captive breeding and reintroduction programs. Keys to this conservation plan include maintaining an insurance population in captivity, conducting research to improve breeding and reintroduction success and increasing community awareness and support for this rare marsupial. A management plan, developed in 1987 and revised in 1989, recommended the first reintroduction of the eastern barred bandicoot in Victoria at Woodlands Historic Park, 20 km northwest of Melbourne. Animals were translocated from the last remaining free-ranging mainland population in Hamilton, Western Victoria to captive breeding facilities at Woodlands to establish a population in 1988. The captive-bred offspring formed the basis for reintroductions into the Nature Reserve, known as the Back Paddock, a 400-ha section of the park with a predator-resistant fence to keep out feral predators. Unfortunately, populations at four sites are now extinct (Floating Islands Nature Reserve, Lanark, Cobra Killuc Wildlife Reserve and Lake Goldsmith Nature Reserve), functionally extinct at Woodlands Historic park, declining at Mooramong and increasing at Hamilton Community Parklands and Mount Rothwell. The last remaining wild population which was once found along the Grange Burn (a creek) in Hamilton has also been declared extinct. The estimated population size for the Victorian Eastern Barred bandicoot is 150 individuals. The Tasmanian subspecies (P. g. gunni) is vulnerable to extinction. This species is more widespread than its mainland cousin because Tasmania provides large areas of suitable habitat and because the island lacks the bandicoot's main predator, the red fox.
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Wikipedia