Woylie
Encyclopedia
The Woylie also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial
that belongs to the genus
Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia
. Formerly it had two separate subspecies, Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi and the now extinct Bettongia penicillata penicillata.
, most of South Australia
, the northwest corner of Victoria and across the central portion of New South Wales
. It was abundant in the mid-19th century. By the 1920s, it was extinct over much of its range. As of 1992, it was reported only from four small areas in Western Australia. In South Australia, a number of populations have been established through reintroduction
of captive-bred animals. As of 1996, it occurred in six sites in Western Australia, including Karakamia Sanctuary
run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
(AWC), and on three islands and two mainland sites in South Australia, following the reintroduction program and the controlling of foxes.
Today this species lives mostly in open sclerophyll
forest
and Malee eucalyptus woodlands
with a dense low under story of tussock grasses. However this versatile species is also known to have once inhabited a wide range of habitats, including low arid scrub or desert spinifex
grasslands.
The Woylie is able to use its tail, curled around in a prehensile manner, to carry bundles of nesting material. It builds its dome-shaped nest in a shallow scrape under a bush. The nest
, which consists of grass and shredded bark, sticks, leaves and other available material is well-made and hidden.
The Woylie rests in its nest during the day and emerges at night to feed.
The Woylie has an unusual diet for a mammal. Although it may eat bulb
s, tuber
s, seeds, insect
s and resin of the Hakea
plant, the bulk of its nutrients are derived from underground fungi which it digs out with with its strong foreclaws. These fungi which can only be digested indirectly. In a portion of its stomach, the fungi are consumed by bacteria. These bacteria
produce the nutrients that are digested in the rest of the stomach and small intestine. When it was widespread and abundant, the Woylie likely played an important role in the dispersal of fungal spores within desert ecosystems. There are also established reports of Brush-tailed Bettongs feeding on carrion. This Bettong was also hunted by Indigenous Australians
, to whom it was one of the most favorite articles of food.
Decline seems to have been caused by a number of factors, including the impact of introduced grazing
animals, land clearance for agriculture
, predation by introduced Red Fox
es and, possibly, changed fire regimes. As a result, this species suffered localized extinctions throughout its range, and was very endagered by the 1970s.
Subsequent conservation efforts concentrated on controlling the feral fox and reintroducing woylies from expanding populations to fox-free sites in its former range. Stable populations have been established in places like Venus Bay
, St Peter Island, Wedge Island
, Shark Bay
or Scotia Sanctuary
. As a result of these efforts, the Woylie population rose to sufficient numbers that it was taken off the threatened species list in 1996. The population expanded with with new, wild-born joeys being recorded and survived several drought years in the early 2000’s. The total population of this species rose to 40 000 in 2001.
However there was a sudden population crash in late 2001 and in just 5 years in most areas the Woylie population dropped to only 10-30% of its pre 2001 numbers. The IUCN Red List also revised the Woylie as Critically Endangered.
The exact cause of this rapid population crash remains uncertain, although researcher Andrew Thompson has found two parasite infestations in Woylie blood. Predation and habitat destruction were also suggested as contributing to the recent decline of the species..
As of 2011, the global population is estimated to be less than 5 600 individuals.
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
that belongs to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Bettongia. It is endemic to 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...
. Formerly it had two separate subspecies, Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi and the now extinct Bettongia penicillata penicillata.
Description
The Woylie is a small macropod being only some 30-35 cm high, with a long, 30 cm tail. The fur of this bettong is yellowish-brown in color with a patch of paler fur on its belly while the end of its furry tail is dark colored. It has little or no hair on their muzzle and tail. This species has a more slender build and larger ears than its relative the Burrowing Bettong.Distribution and Habitat
The Woylie once inhabited more than 60% of the Australian mainland but now occurs only on less than 1%. The Woylie formerly ranged over all of the southwest of Western AustraliaWestern 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...
, most of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the northwest corner of Victoria and across the central portion of 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...
. It was abundant in the mid-19th century. By the 1920s, it was extinct over much of its range. As of 1992, it was reported only from four small areas in Western Australia. In South Australia, a number of populations have been established through reintroduction
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
of captive-bred animals. As of 1996, it occurred in six sites in Western Australia, including Karakamia Sanctuary
Karakamia Sanctuary
Karakamia Sanctuary is a 2.75 km² nature reserve in south-west Western Australia, 4 km from Chidlow and 50 km north-east of Perth. It is located within the Jarrah forest of the Darling Scarp and is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy ....
run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy is an Australian independent, non-profit organisation, working to conserve threatened wildlife and ecosystems in Australia, principally through the acquisition of extensive areas of land on which to establish conservation reserves . These sanctuaries are...
(AWC), and on three islands and two mainland sites in South Australia, following the reintroduction program and the controlling of foxes.
Today this species lives mostly in open sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and Malee eucalyptus woodlands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...
with a dense low under story of tussock grasses. However this versatile species is also known to have once inhabited a wide range of habitats, including low arid scrub or desert spinifex
Spinifex (genus)
Spinifex is a genus of perennial coastal grasses. They are one of the most common plants that grow in sand dunes along the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.. As they help stabilise the sand, these grasses are an important part of the entire sand dune ecosystem. Of the four species...
grasslands.
Ecology and Behaviour
This species is strictly nocturnal and is not gregarious. It can breed all year round if the conditions are favorable. The female can breed at six months of age and give birth every 3.5 months. Its life span in the wild is about 4-6 years.The Woylie is able to use its tail, curled around in a prehensile manner, to carry bundles of nesting material. It builds its dome-shaped nest in a shallow scrape under a bush. The nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
, which consists of grass and shredded bark, sticks, leaves and other available material is well-made and hidden.
The Woylie rests in its nest during the day and emerges at night to feed.
The Woylie has an unusual diet for a mammal. Although it may eat bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
s, 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, seeds, 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 and resin of the Hakea
Hakea laurina
Hakea laurina is a plant of Southwest Australia that is widely cultivated and admired. The species is often referred to as Kodjet, Pincushion Hakea, and Emu Bush...
plant, the bulk of its nutrients are derived from underground fungi which it digs out with with its strong foreclaws. These fungi which can only be digested indirectly. In a portion of its stomach, the fungi are consumed by bacteria. These bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
produce the nutrients that are digested in the rest of the stomach and small intestine. When it was widespread and abundant, the Woylie likely played an important role in the dispersal of fungal spores within desert ecosystems. There are also established reports of Brush-tailed Bettongs feeding on carrion. This Bettong was also hunted by Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, to whom it was one of the most favorite articles of food.
Population and current status
This bettong was once very abundant and widespred across Australia. In 1863, Gould mentioned it was "abundant in all parts of the colony". As late as 1910 the species as said to be very abundant in the Australian southwestDecline seems to have been caused by a number of factors, including the impact of introduced grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
animals, land clearance for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, predation by introduced 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...
es and, possibly, changed fire regimes. As a result, this species suffered localized extinctions throughout its range, and was very endagered by the 1970s.
Subsequent conservation efforts concentrated on controlling the feral fox and reintroducing woylies from expanding populations to fox-free sites in its former range. Stable populations have been established in places like Venus Bay
Venus Bay, South Australia
Venus Bay is a small tourist and fishing town sited on the bay of the same name, on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The town population numbers in the twenties during most of the year, but its numbers greatly increase during the summer holidays. At the 2006 census, Venus Bay had a population...
, St Peter Island, Wedge Island
Wedge Island (South Australia)
Wedge Island is a partly privately owned island, with an area of about 10 km2, in south-eastern Australia. It is the largest of the small Gambier Islands Group lying between the southern tips of the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia at the entrance to Spencer...
, 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...
or Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the south-western plains of New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the border with South Australia. It is located in the Murray Mallee subregion of the Murray-Darling Depression Bioregion, south of the city of Broken Hill...
. As a result of these efforts, the Woylie population rose to sufficient numbers that it was taken off the threatened species list in 1996. The population expanded with with new, wild-born joeys being recorded and survived several drought years in the early 2000’s. The total population of this species rose to 40 000 in 2001.
However there was a sudden population crash in late 2001 and in just 5 years in most areas the Woylie population dropped to only 10-30% of its pre 2001 numbers. The IUCN Red List also revised the Woylie as Critically Endangered.
The exact cause of this rapid population crash remains uncertain, although researcher Andrew Thompson has found two parasite infestations in Woylie blood. Predation and habitat destruction were also suggested as contributing to the recent decline of the species..
As of 2011, the global population is estimated to be less than 5 600 individuals.