Marsupials
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Thanks to all those who have produced the photos or art work on this page.  If your work is displayed without a link to your site, please send me the link and your photo can become a link.

Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)
Foxes can and do easily kill Tammar wallabies

Sensible Pets for Australia
Paw Printz - Caring for Native Australian Wildlife
Some wonderful wildlife photography by Dave Watts

Many rare and endangered Australian marsupials
- Quolls
- Numbats
- Bilbies
- Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats
- Sugar Gliders
- Leadbeaters Possums
- Bridle Nail-Tailed Wallaby
 
General Sites
- General Marsupial Links
- Western Australian Mammal Species
- More informative sites on endangered animals

Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri).
The Leadbeater�s possums are Victoria�s State Animal and they live in Victoria�s tall Mountain ash, Alpine ash and Shining gum forests.  In earlier days the Leadbeater�s possums may have been widespread but these days they appear to be restricted to a small area of Victoria�s central highlands.

Australian Fauna

Leadbeater�s possums are in trouble

Leadbeater�s possums cannot live in new growth forest because those trees have not yet developed the hollows that these possums need to survive  So, after an Old Growth Mountain Ash forest has been logged, Leadbeater�s possums may not be able to return for up to a 100 years.

Also, the Leadbeater�s possums are only able to return to a new growth forest if there are any of these animals left in an old forest which is very close by.  Leadbeater�s possums seldom if ever, travel far from a tree and they never travel overland.

If there is no old growth forest close to a re-growth area then even after a hundred years, the new forest is not likely to ever see a Leadbeater�s possum.

There are still some people that will tell you that we don�t need old forest because re-growth areas are juicier for the animals to eat; they call this nonsense 'new sun re-growth'.  There are also some idiots that say that if we don�t chop down all the old forests, they will die; isn�t it strange that they have lasted this long just waiting for us to chop them down to save them.

The problem with many �new sun re-growth areas� is that the Leadbeater�s possums have already died out because any that survived the logging were left out in the cold and froze to death during the winter; they could not wait a hundred years for a new house (a hollow to call home).

In 2003 the remaining population of Leadbeater�s possums was estimated to be about 500 animals.  The early decline of these animals was because of very heavy logging and bushfires.  In modern times the new forestry practice of clear felling for woodchips has been a disaster for most fauna.

 

We nearly lost the Leadbeater�s possum because nobody ever cared about protecting broad contiguous corridors of old forest for them to move between different areas; which would have also maintained broadly based gene pools of them and other creatures as well.  Now the gene pool for the survival of the Leadbeater�s possum is very narrow which is not good for their survival in the long term.

An example of a dangerously narrow gene pool is that of the Cheetah and Amur Leopard which is genetically in big trouble.  And, genetic engineering will not help the cheetah because the gene pool that exists is all there is.

The only way to secure the survival of the cheetah is to have as many isolated populations as possible.  If that can be maintained for another hundred thousand to a million years or so then the gene pool may slowly start to broaden again; though they will never regain their former glory.  Modern humans were not responsible for the genetic plight of the cheetah; though we can help to secure their survival.

Clear felling for woodchips did not get going properly until the 1970s, but now the practice is ferocious and relentless; and of course bushfires have taken their toll as well; i believe that foxes and cats are responsible for many of the great bushfires in Australia.

If you are concerned about the Leadbeater�s possums ask the Premier of Victoria and your Prime Minister what they are doing to stop the clear felling of what is left of our old growth forests.

About writing letters to politicians: -
Only ever write very short letters to politicians because they are usually very busy people; 30 to 50 words is plenty.  Only write about one issue at a time and be polite but firm.  If you get a �nonsense answer� you should reply immediately and remind them that you are intelligent and want a sensible answer because you and your friends want to know who is worth voting for.

Your Politician�s addresses here

Quolls � The Dasyurids.
It looks like the cane toad will wipe out the Northern Quoll on the mainland � see Sensible Pets for Australia and The Cane Toad.

Quolls � General Dasyurids.
Photo by Gould - Northern Quoll
Quolls decline with advance of toads
Quolls of Australia � Aust Govt
Quolls get genetic passport to survival
Quoll Seekers Network
Restraint and Anesthesia of Dasyuridae (Dasyuromorphia) Peter Holtz
Dasyurid carnivores � their size in relation to food competition

Quolls � Northern (Dasyurus hallucatus).
Northern Quoll
Birth of the Northern Quoll
Reproduction and Demography or the Northern Quoll - Australian Journal of Zoology
Northern Quoll � (Dasyurus hallucatus)
Quolls decline with advance of toad
The Cane Toads could cause the end of the Northern Quoll on the mainland.

Quolls � Eastern (Dasyurus viverrinus).
Eastern Quoll � Department of Primary Industries Tasmania
Eastern Quoll - Tas Govt.
Tasmanian Adventures Wildlife

Quolls � Western (Dasyurus geoffroii)
Western Quoll
Western Quoll � NSW Government

Quolls � Tiger (Dasyurus maculates).
 
Spotted Tailed Quoll
Spotted Tailed Quoll � Tas Govt.
Dasyurus maculatus - Spotted Tailed Quoll, Tiger Quoll, Tiger Cat
Spot Tailed Quoll
Parks and Wildlife Tasmania

Numbats.

Numbat or Banded anteater (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
Milamba's Numbat
Perth Zoo
Australian Endangered Species Profile Sheet

Bilbies.
Bilbies are members of the ground-dwelling marsupials called bandicoots.
The bilby is the largest bandicoot.

Bilby or Rabbit-eared bandicoot (Macrotis lagotis)
The Australian Bilby Appreciation Society
The Bilby
The Bilby � Australian Government
Unique Australian Animals � Bilby
Reintroducing the bilby to South Australia
Anderson�s Creek Primary � The Bilby
Rochedale State School - Bilby
The Bilby � Darrell Lea
The Bilby - Didax

Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats.
There are 3 types of Wombats.  The Common Wombat and 2 types of Hairy-nosed Wombats

The Northern Hairy-nosed is perhaps the rarest large burrowing mammal in the world.  There are approximately 100 left and in their case cattle are a problem as they are hemmed in by the moo cows.

The Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus).

Plains or Western Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons).
Plains Wombat found in NSW


Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii or L barnardi).
The rarest of the three wombats is the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat � Queensland Museum
Unique Australian Animals
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat � Queensland Government
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat � Fact sheets
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat � (Lasiorhinus krefftii)
ABC Catalyst � The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat
Queensland Hairy-nosed Wombat
Queensland Conservation Council � Northern Hairy-nosed
Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland

Sugar Gliders.
Pussy cats love to eat Sugar Gliders!
Without old trees with hollows, Sugar Gliders cannot live.

Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)
Larry's Ultimate Sugar Glider Index
Department of Primary Industries, Water & Environment

Bridled Nail-tailed Wallaby.

Bridled-nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata)
Animal Info - Bridled Nail-tailed Wallaby

General Marsupial Links.

Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis)
Marsupials
Touring Australia - Marsupials
Metatheria
The Natural History of Marsupials
Kangaroo Biology
Kangaroos and Wallabies

Western Australian Mammal Species.
The following 10 sites are a great overview of the mammals that can be found in West Australia, many of these creatures can also be found in other states.
WA Mammals - General
WA Mammals 01. Short-beaked Echidna to Northern Marsupial Mole
WA Mammals 02. Yellow-footed Antechinus to Red-cheeked Dunnart
WA Mammals 03. Golden Bandicoot to Western Ringtail Possum
WA Mammals 04. Burrowing Bettong to Black-flanked Rock Wallaby
WA Mammals 05. Least Blossom Bat to Greater Long-eared Bat
WA Mammals 06. Grassland Melomys to Lesser Stick-nest Rat
WA Mammals 07. Five-lined Palm Squirrel to Pig
WA Mammals 08. New Zealand Fur Seal to Crab-eater Seal
WA Mammals 09. Irrawaddy Dolphin to Dugong

Other Marsupial sites worth looking at.
ENDANGERED SPECIES Of TASMANIA
Thumbnails to all Victorian Marsupial Mammal Live and Collection based (except skulls) Images
Thumbnails to John Gould Print Images Of Australian Mammals Volumes 1 � 3, 1863
THE MARSUPIALS OF ARGENTINA - English/Spanish

More informative sites on endangered animals.
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES SITE - This site has many useful links.
THE CITES PHOTO GALLERY.