From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Western Barred Bandicoot (Perameles bougainville), also known as the Marl, is a small species of bandicoot found in Australia. It was once widespread across southern Australia from Western Australia to central New South Wales, but it is now confined to Bernier, Dorre and Faure islands in Shark Bay, Western Australia.[3][4]
The Western Barred Bandicoot is much smaller than its relative the Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii), and is darker in its colouring, which is a grizzled brown. It measures about 1.5 feet in length.[5] It has two "bars" across its rump and has a short, tapered tail.[5] It is a solitary and crepuscular hunter, eating insects, spiders, and worms and occasionally tubers and roots.[5] When the bandicoot feels threatened, it typically leaps into the air and then burrows to safety.[5]
This species is currently being re-introduced to nearby mainland areas of Western Australia, where predators such as the Red Fox are the subject of control programs.[3] It has also been successfully reintroduced into the Arid Recovery Reserve in South Australia.
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 39. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Perameles bougainville. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, 78.
- ^ Flannery, Tim (2005). Country: a continent, a scientist & a kangaroo. ISBN 1-920885-76-5.
- ^ a b c d Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perrenial, 226. ISBN 0-06-055804-0.
[edit] External links
