The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) is a medium-sized, ground-dwelling marsupial. Adults weigh approximately 800 g, with a head-body length of approximately 300 mm and a tail length of approximately 110 mm. The dorsal fur is grey-brown to buff, while the underbelly, forefeet and upper hindfeet are creamy white. The hindquarters have three to four distinct, pale bars. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) has a slightly smaller body size than the Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Tasmania).The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) can be distinguished from Perameles nasuta (Southern Long-nosed Bandicoot) by the presence of distinct, pale bars on the hindquarters (Dickman & Stodart 2008). However, some Southern Long-nosed Bandicoots also have a faint barred pattern on the hindquarters. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) can be distinguished from Isodon obseulus (Southern Brown Bandicoot) by a longer and more pointed muzzle and ears, as well as the barring on the body, which is absent in the Southern Brown Bandicoot
Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) |
Perameles gunnii Victorian subspecies
Status: Endangered on the EPBC Act list
Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government, Conservation Advice, Perameles gunnii Victorian subspecies
The main factors that make the species eligible for listing in the Endangered category are restricted and fragmented distribution; small population size and threats; such as invasive species; habitat loss; disturbance or modification; climate change; and disease.
However; given the overall small number of populations and need to maintain minimum population size for genetic diversity retention; the highest priority populations are those sites that are largest in habitat area and therefore have the highest ultimate population potential Mount Rothwell Phillip Island Introduction sites that are likely to become high priority populations if releases are successful are French Island Tiverton Threats The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Mainland) is threatened by invasive species; small population size; habitat loss; disturbance or modification; climate change; and disease (Table 1).
Climate change Inappropriate fire Timing current Fires can cause mortality of medium sized regimes Confidence known marsupials; including bandicoots; directly via high temperatures; toxic effects of smoke and oxygen Consequence moderate depletion (Whelan et al. 2002) or indirectly via Trend increasing starvation and predation; linked to loss of suitable Extent across the entire range habitat; increased predator abundance and activity (McGregor et al. 2014 Leahy et al. 2016 Hradsky et al. 2017).
However; catastrophic bushfires are increasingly likely to occur due to climate change (CSIRO Bureau of Meteorology 2015).
Climate change Understand and ameliorate the effects of climate change; particularly an increase in the frequency of drought; on the subspecies.
The species is threatened by several fire related threats; including high severity fires; fire drought interactions and fire predator interactions.
In particular; grassy weeds can increase Trend static fuel load and alter fire regimes (Milberg Lamont Extent across part of its range 1995 Setterfield et al. 2013).
These altered fire regimes can create conditions that are detrimental to the maintenance of native species and favourable to the establishment and spread of weeds (D’Antonio Vitousek 1992 Grigulis et al. 2005).
Fire severity varied across the bushfire extent; with many patches burning at extreme severity while others remained unburnt (DPIE 2020).
The species is threatened by several fire related threats; including high severity fires; fire drought interactions and fire predator interactions.
The ongoing drought is thought to have reduced vegetation cover; impacting the availability of nesting and shelter sites and making the subspecies more susceptible to predation (Hill et al. 2010).
Accordingly; it is thought the cumulative impacts of predation and drought significantly elevate the likelihood of local extinction (Hill et al. 2010).
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