Saturday, February 26, 2011

List of Extinct Australian Mammals

Considering Australia has only been settled by environmentally harmful humans since the First Fleet in 1788, a lot of animals have been made extinct in a little over 210 years.

The Aboriginals knew and taught not to hunt to extinction or to destroy habitat or interfere with biodiversity.  They knew that a lot of the Australian environment depended on regular bushfires to germinate certain plants and keep the life cycle going, and would deliberately light bushfires to continue this cycle if fires were not occuring naturally.  They made certain lands taboo, ensuring the biodiversity of certain habitats continued undisturbed.

All this good and natural use of the land has been since usurped by white settlers.  While our environmental legacy has been sad, we can use this history to educate us to treat our fortunate land in a better and more understanding way.

Bettongia gaimardi gaimardi - Eastern Bettong
Bettongia lesueur graii Boodie - Burrowing Bettong
Bettongia penicillata penicillata - Brush-tailed Bettong
Caloprymnus campestris - Desert Rat-kangaroo
Chaeropus ecaudatus - Pig-footed Bandicoot
Conilurus albipes - White-footed Rabbit-rat
Lagorchestes asomatus - Central Hare-wallaby
Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus - Rufous Hare-wallaby
Lagorchestes leporides - Eastern Hare-wallaby
Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis - Banded Hare-wallaby
Leporillus apicalis - Lesser Stick-nest Rat
Macropus eugenii eugenii - Tammar Wallaby
Macropus greyi - Toolache Wallaby
Macrotis leucura - Lesser Bilby
Notomys amplus - Short-tailed Hopping-mouse
Notomys longicaudatus - Long-tailed Hopping-mouse
Notomys macrotis - Big-eared Hopping-mouse
Notomys mordax - Darling Downs Hopping-mouse
Nyctophilus howensis - Lord Howe Long-eared Bat
Onychogalea lunata - Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby
Perameles bougainville fasciata - Western Barred Bandicoot
Perameles eremiana - Desert Bandicoot
Potorous platyops - Broad-faced Potoroo
Pseudomys gouldi - Gould's Mouse
Rattus macleari - Maclear's Rat
Rattus nativitatis - Bulldog Rat
Thylacinus cynocephalus - Thylacine, Tasmanian Tiger

1 comment:

  1. Very disheartening when you look at the list. Something must really be done to preserve wildlife and habitats.

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