Western Barred Bandicoot
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 found on Bernier
, Dorre
and Faure
islands in Shark Bay
, Western Australia, and in captive populations on the mainland including at Barna Mia in Dryandra Woodland
.
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 (45.7 cm) in length. It has two "bars" across its rump and has a short, tapered tail. It is a solitary and crepuscular
hunter, eating insect
s, spider
s, and worm
s and occasionally tuber
s and root
s. When the bandicoot feels threatened, it typically leaps into the air and then burrows to safety.
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. It has also been successfully reintroduced into the Arid Recovery Reserve at Roxby Downs in South Australia.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of bandicoot
Bandicoot
Bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia.- Etymology :...
found in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was once widespread across southern Australia from Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to central New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, but it is now found on Bernier
Bernier Island
Bernier Island is one of three islands that comprise the Bernier and Dorre Island Nature Reserve in the Shark Bay World Heritage area in Western Australia.It was a hospital location in the early 1900s....
, Dorre
Dorre Island
Dorre Island is one of three islands that make up the Bernier and Dorre Island Nature Reserve in the Shark Bay World Heritage area in Western Australia...
and Faure
Faure Island
Faure Island is a 58 km2 island pastoral lease and nature reserve, east of the Francois Peron National Park on the Peron Peninsula, in Shark Bay, Western Australia. It lies in line with the Monkey Mia resort to the west, and the Wooramel River on the eastern shore of Shark Bay...
islands in Shark Bay
Shark Bay
Shark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...
, Western Australia, and in captive populations on the mainland including at Barna Mia in Dryandra Woodland
Dryandra Woodland
The Dryandra Woodland is a nature conservation area in Western Australia within the Shires of Cuballing, Williams and Wandering, about 164 kilometres south-east of Perth and 22 kilometres north-west of the town of Narrogin...
.
The Western Barred Bandicoot is much smaller than its relative the Eastern Barred Bandicoot
Eastern Barred Bandicoot
The Eastern Barred Bandicoot was once distributed across the Basalt Plains of south west Victoria, and in Tasmania. 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 not...
(Perameles gunnii), and is darker in its colouring, which is a grizzled brown. It measures about 1.5 feet (45.7 cm) in length. It has two "bars" across its rump and has a short, tapered tail. It is a solitary and crepuscular
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
hunter, eating insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, and worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s and occasionally tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s and root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s. When the bandicoot feels threatened, it typically leaps into the air and then burrows to safety.
This species is currently being re-introduced to nearby mainland areas of Western Australia, where predators such as the Red Fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
are the subject of control programs. It has also been successfully reintroduced into the Arid Recovery Reserve at Roxby Downs in South Australia.