- Eastern Barred Bandicoot
Taxobox
name = Eastern Barred BandicootMSW3 Groves | pages = 40]
status = NT
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group|year=1996|id=16572|title=Perameles gunnii|downloaded=2006-05-11 Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1b v2.3)]
trend = down
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
infraclassis =Marsupialia
ordo =Peramelemorphia
familia =Peramelidae
genus = "Perameles "
species = "P. gunnii"
binomial = "Perameles gunnii"
binomial_authority = Gray, 1838The Eastern Barred Bandicoot ("Perameles gunni"), was once distributed across the Basalt Plains of south west Victoria, a small corner of South Australia and
Tasmania .Winnard, A. L., and G. Coulson. 2008. "Sixteen years of Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii reintroductions in Victoria: a review." "Pacific Conservation Biology" 14:34-53.] It is a small, rabbit sized marsupial weighing less than 1 kg with a short tail and three to four whitish bars across the rump. It lives for just two to three years and is non gregarious. Males occupy large home ranges compared to females and only consort with females for mating. This species isnocturnal . It emerges from its nest at dusk to forage for a variety of invertebrates including crickets, beetles andearthworm s. 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.Due to predation by introduced foxes and cats, along with land-clearing for farming practises, the Victorian subspecies is critically endangered. Since 1989, eight reintroduction sites have been established across the bandicoot's former range. 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.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
