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ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES IN AUSTRALIA



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ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES IN AUSTRALIA

Australia is unique among the other continents of the world in the sense that it is a home to varieties of organisms that are hardly found anywhere else in the world. Considering Australia’s animal species, it is estimated that 84% of mammals, 89% of reptiles, 93% of frogs, and 45% of birds are endemic; though, some archaic species, like the Queensland lungfish, have changed little since Palaeozoic or Mesozoic times. According to Scientific estimate, 19 land mammals and 20 birds have become extinct. The World Conservation Monitoring Centre classifies 63 mammals, 60 birds, 38 reptiles, and 47 amphibians as threatened.



Sometime in 2012, Australians were shocked based on the report of ABC’s 730 program that exposed the cruelty meted out on some species of animals in Queensland, especially turtles and dugongs. Despite the legislation which tends to protect them, they are not absolutely free from danger as they are continuously hunted and killed for ‘traditional hunting’ purposes. It is alarming to know that over 50 species of animals are listed as vulnerable to extinction. These animal species include some wombat species, tuatara, cassowaries, and some species of flying birds. Few of these endangered animal species will be treated here.


This animal species is found on Bernier and Dorre Islands in Shark Bay, Western Australia. It is referred to as a “hare” wallaby because of its hare-like jumping ability and speed. The banded hare wallaby has disappeared from most of its natural habitats because of competition, predator and agricultural land usage. As at 1992, its last population estimate was about 9,700 individuals.
• Banded Hare Wallaby



  • Central Rock Rat


This animal species which was believed to have gone into extinction was rediscovered in 1996. It is one of the five species of rock rats found in the southern portion of Australia’s northern territory. Rock rats (or zyzomys as they are called in other continents) are also called thick-tailed rats because their unusual thick, long tails. The central rock rat is the only rock rat species that lives in the arid habitat of central Australia, and it has been found in a variety of vegetative belts. The main threats to the species have not been formerly identified, though they are preyed upon by dingoes. Loss of habitats due to competition and wildfire also endanger them.



Numbat is also a marsupial and is called the banded anteater. This animal is unique because it belongs to its own family and it is a nocturnal unlike many other marsupials. Numbats were once widely distributed throughout southern Australia, but are now only found in Western Australia with population estimate of about 2000. They have witnessed decrease in population because of habitat loss and predators (red fox)
• Numbat





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