T Sturt National Park Biodiversity Checklist Small Mammals he most obvious mammals in the park are the four species of large kangaroos, a separate guide has been produced for them. The diversity of small mammals is great but most are rarely seen because they are small and exclusively night-active. The most likely small native mammal that you may see during the day is the Echidna. This is a member of the monotremes, egg-laying mammals, which are now only found in Australia (the Echidna and Platypus) and in New Guinea (two species of long-beaked Echidnas). A t night your most likely encounter is with one or more species of bats flying overhead, attracted to the insects that are attracted to your camp light. The most common of these are Gould s Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), the Lesser Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus geoffroyi) and the Southern Freetail-bat (Mormopterus planiceps). Usually the bats are fast flying and silent (calling in a frequency range above our hearing) and it is difficult to make out any detail of their form. Other insect-eaters amongst the mammals are small terrestrial marsupial carnivores that would rarely venture into a campsite. You will need to take a powerful torch and look for them by spotlighting across the ground. There density is typically very low and so encounters are rare and fleeting but not improbable. Scientists have caught Fat-tailed Dunnarts (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) for study by catching them in a spotlight and then leaping off a vehicle to run them down. However, usually they are harmlessly caught in small aluminium box traps laced with peanut butter and oats. M arsupials are the most diverse of the terrestrial mammal species, however monotremes are the oldest. Our fauna had a southern origin and the first possumlike ancestors entered Australia at least 45 million years ago while South America, Antarctica and Australia were connected by land bridges. The placental mammals, bats and rodents, are more recent arrivals from the north about 10 million years ago. Most of the genera are found in New Guinea and Southeast Asia. The small mammal fauna of the Australian arid zone is unusual relative to other continents in having a relatively low diversity of seed-eating rodents. This niche is occupied by a much more diverse fauna of seed-eating ants than elsewhere since the latter have a much older and longer association with the Australian continent. T he Park unfortunately does support some non-native mammals that were introduced through past human activities. These include the House Mouse (Mus musculus), the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the cat (Felis cattus), the goat (Capra hircus) and the pig (Sus scrofa). The larger species are actively managed to suppress their populations on the Park. If you see any stock (i.e. sheep, cattle or horses) then these have strayed from neighbouring properties and you should inform the Ranger. 1
T he Park is bounded on the north and west by the Dog Fence which excludes dingoes and other wild dogs from the sheep rangelands which border the south and east of Sturt National Park. However, the fence is not insurmountable and some wild dogs may enter the park. Without stock their activities go largely unnoticed, but they are actively managed on the eastern and southern boundaries to prevent introgression onto pastoral properties. The dogs you may see are unlikely to be purebred dingoes; feral dogs can arise anywhere from human settlements and interbreed with dingoes, threatening their genetic integrity. Fat-tailed Dunnart Forrest's Mouse 2
Checklist - Threatened - Introduced Monotremes/Egg Laying Mammals (Monotremata) Family: Echidnas (Tachyglossidae) Tachyglossus aculeatus Short-beaked Echidna (30-45 cm) Readily recognised by its covering of long spines. Feeds on ants and termites Marsupials (Marsupialia) Family: Carnivorous Marsupials (Dasyuridae) Planigale gilesi Giles Planigale (68 76 mm) Brindled cinnamon-grey above, olive buff below. Flattened body and pointed snout. Ears small, rounded and lying against the head. Planigale tenuirostris Narrow-nosed Planigale (62 65 mm) Russet brown above, off white below, flattened body, flat triangular head Antechinomys laniger Kultarr (85 mm) Grizzled fawn-grey to sandy brown above, crown of head, mid line of face and eye ring darker. Long thin tail with prominent pencil of dark brown to black hairs. Sminthopsis crassicaudata Fat-tailed Dunnart (75 mm) This species can be recognised by its large ears and eyes and by a swollen tail, which is much shorter than that of a Stripe-faced Dunnart. Sminthopsis macroura Stripe-faced Dunnart (85 mm) This species derives its common name from a prominent line of dark hair running from between the eyes to between the ears. Placental Mammals (Eutheria) Family: Sheathtail Bats (Emballonuridae) Saccolaimus flaviventris Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat (76-87 mm) Glossy jet black on back; white to yellow underneath. Head flattened; muzzle sharply pointed. Family: Freetail Bats (Molossidae) Mormopterus planiceps Southern freetail-bat (50-65 mm) Charcoal grey above; notably paler below. Ears triangular, not jointed across forehead. Upper lip overhangs lower lip and bears fringe of stiff hairs. Tadarida australis White-striped Freetail-bat (85 100 mm) Synonym Nyctophilus australis Chocolate brown above; slightly lighter below. Distinct stripes of white fur along the junction of the undersurface of the wings and body. Large, fleshy forward pointing ears. 3
Family: Vespertilionid bats (Vespertilionidae) Nyctophilus geoffroyi Lesser Long-eared Bat (40-50 mm) Light grey-brown on dorsal surface; paler, tending to whitish on ventral surface. Ears very long and joined together above forehead. Two lobes behind the noseleaf which are joined by a median elastic membrane. Nyctophilus timoriensis Greater Long-eared Bat (50-75 mm) Distinguished from N. geopffroyi by larger size and less developed Y shaped groove on snout. Chalinolobus gouldii Gould s Wattled Bat (65-75 mm) Black above; black or brown below; upper surface often grading to medium brown posteriorly. Outer margin of ear turned downwards from corner of mouth in flap of skin; tragus wide and posterior margin is rounded. Chalinolobus picatus Little Pied Bat (42-50 mm) Glossy black fur on back extends onto tail membrane: dark grey below with white fur along flanks forming a V-shape in the pubic region. Scotorepens balstoni Inland Broad-nosed Bat (42-60 mm) Light grey-brown above, pale brown below. Broad square-shaped muzzle when viewed from above. Ears have short Tragus. Scotorepens greyii Little broad-nosed Bat (45-55 mm) Variable chestnut to grey-brown above, paler below. Broad, square muzzle when viewed from above. Ears erect and broadly curved behind the tips. Calcaneum lobed at tip. Vespadelus baverstocki Inland Forest Bat (36-43 mm) Dorsal fur is pale sandy brown. Skin of ears and membranes is pale grey. The pale tragus is distinctive. Note: This species has not been recorded on Sturt NP or on NPWS Atlas but its distribution includes the area of Sturt NP. Family: Rats and Mice (Muridae) Leggadina forresti Forrest s Mouse (80-100 mm) Grey-brown above; white below. Tail length 60-70% of head and body length. Small ears. Notomys fuscus Dusky Hopping-mouse (80-115 mm) Orange to grey above; white below. Both sexes have well developed throat pouch with distinct fleshy margins covered with stiff white hairs. Pseudomys hermannsbergensis Sandy Inland Mouse (65-85mm) Sandy brown to grey-brown. Similar to Mus musculus but distinguished by larger ears, eyes and tail. Lacks mousy odour of house mouse. Hydromys chrysogaster Water-rat (231-290 mm) Almost black to slate grey above; white to orange below. Tail thick well covered by dark hair, usually with white tip. Head and body somewhat compressed; body tapering gradually to tail. Small ears, eyes and nostrils set high on head. Note: This species has not been recorded on Sturt NP or on NPWS Atlas but its distribution includes the area of Sturt NP. Mus musculus House Mouse (60-100mm) Yellowish-brown to blackish above; white to grey to pale yellow below. Rattus villosissimus Long-haired Rat (120-187 mm) Grey above, dorsal hair harsh; ventral fur grey or yellowish. 4
Family: Dogs (Canidae) Canis lupus Dingo (860-1220mm) Varying from sandy-yellow to red-ginger, occasionally black and tan or white. Most with white markings on the feet, tail tip and chest. Dingo-dog hybrids of a similar size and configuration are often distinguished by pelage s with a dark dorsal strip or speckling in the white areas. Vulpes vulpes Fox (570-740 mm) Reddish-brown above, whitish chin, throat, chest and belly. Distinctive tail tag, usually white but often dark red or black. Family: Cat (Felidae) Felis catus Cat (380 617 mm) No anatomical differences exist between feral and domestic cats. Family: Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae) Oryctolagus cuniculus Rabbit (356-424 mm) Agouti coloured coat; ears similar colour. Short front legs Family: Pigs (Suidae) Sus scrofa Pig (110-165 cm) Smaller with narrower hindquarters than domestic breeds. Coarse mane erected when animal is stressed. Family: Horned Ruminants (Bovidae) Capra hircus Goat (114-162 cm) Characteristic appearance. Help look after the environment recycle checklists and brochures by returning them to the Parks and Wildlife office, Briscoe St, Tibooburra. Thank you. References: Atlas Internal List report for Sturt National Park Churchill, S. 1998. Australian Bats. New Holland Publishers, Sydney. Strahan, R. 1998. The Mammals of Australia. New Holland Publishers, Sydney. This guide is part of a UNSW research project in collaboration with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism and the Department of Environment and Conservation - Parks and Wildlife Division. The aim of this project is to develop and implement products to support a vibrant wildlife tourism industry in the rangelands of the Outback. Some more information can be found at our web site http://www.bios.unsw.edu.au/rootourism/ Updated by Natalie Middleton, Ranger, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Tibooburra. July 2008 (version 2) 5