What Is a Woylie? Interesting Facts Where Do They Live? Have You Seen

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What Is a Woylie? Interesting Facts Where Do They Live? Have You Seen

What is a woylie? Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Woylies are a small kangaroo-like marsupial with a long tail that has a black Scientific Name: Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi brush at the end. They have strong, Location: South-west Western Australia, with clawed forefeet that they use to dig up translocation populations in South Australia and fungi and make their nests. They also use New South Wales. their tails to hold onto nesting material. Interesting facts Woylies have pouches and they carry their young Where do they live? in them. They only have one young at a time but They used to found across most of Australia but the young grow so quickly that they can have they are now only found in two small areas in three a year. south-western WA. They like to live in forests and woodlands with tall Woylie have very strong legs so they can jump jarrah and wandoo trees, but they also used to live really high and can move really quickly. in lots of other types of habitats. Woylies are nocturnal, meaning they are awake at During the day, they hide in nests in the night. They spend the night looking for food, vegetation underneath the trees. They make their which they store inside their cheeks to eat later. small, round nests from grass and bark. Inside the nest it is cool, dark and dry. Their nests are so well Woylies like to eat fungi and roots, and every hidden that they are almost impossible to find. night they dig up a large amount of soil while searching for food. Photos: R. McLean Have you seen a woylie? Please let us know us if you have seen a woylie by sending a fauna report form (on the Department’s website www.dbca.wa.gov.au) to [email protected]. .

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Bettongia Penicillata Ogilbyi (Woylie)
Advice to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) on Amendment to the list of Threatened Subspecies under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) 1. Scientific name (common name) Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi (Woylie) 2. Reason for Conservation Assessment by the Committee This advice follows assessment of information gathered through the Commonwealth’s Species Information Partnership with Western Australia, which is aimed at systematically reviewing species that are inconsistently listed under the EPBC Act and the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The Woylie was listed as endangered under the former Endangered Species Protection Act 1992, but was not transferred to the EPBC Act threatened species list in 1999, reflecting an increase in Woylie distribution and abundance up to about year 2000. This assessment is in response to reported decline since that time. The Committee provides the following assessment of the appropriateness of the Woylie’s inclusion in the endangered category in the EPBC Act list of threatened species. 3. Summary of Conclusion The Committee judges that the subspecies has been demonstrated to have met sufficient elements of Criterion 1 to make it eligible for listing as endangered and of Criterion 2 as vulnerable. The highest level of listing recommended is endangered. 4. Taxonomy The Woylie is conventionally accepted as Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi . Family: Potoroidae. Other common names include: Brush-tailed bettong, Brush-tailed Rat-kangaroo. Indigenous names include: Woylyer and Karpitchi. 5. Description The Woylie is a small potoroid marsupial weighing 1-1.5 kg. It has a distinctive black brush at the end of its tail.
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Have You Booked Your Table Yet?
Numbat News Issue 32 / February 2018 Welcome to Project Numbat’s first Newsletter of 2018! We hope you have had a great start of the year so far and wish you and your loved ones all the best. This year will be very exciting for Project Numbat, as our fundraising efforts for the Williams Community Numbat are nearing their goal and the large Numbat sculpture is about to become a reality. You can help us reach this unique milestone by joining us for our Quiz Night. You will find all the details below. Further on in this Newsletter we have a fine selection of research projects that all focus on the Numbat. It is truly amazing to see so many people involved in Numbat research on an academic level and it makes us hopeful for the Numbat’s future. After all, Baba Dioum was very right when he said: ‘In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.’ Have you Project Numbat Quiz Night booked your 17 March at Melville Bowling Club table yet? With less than a month to go before our next Quiz Night, now is the time to book your table. Gather a group of friends and family and book now! All funds raised on the night will go toward the Williams Community Numbat: a large Numbat sculpture that will feature in the new Lions Playground in Williams. We have been fundraising big time and now have only $4,000 to go! We need to raise the funds now, as construction of the playground will commence in the next few weeks.
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The Epidemiology of Piroplasm Infection in the Woylie (Bettongia
The epidemiology of Piroplasm Infection in the Woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi). Photo: Stefania Basile Stefania Basile (30648234) Independent Study Contract Murdoch University 2010 Supervisors: Irwin Peter & Pacioni Carlo i Abstract The woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) is an endangered endemic species of the south-west of Western Australia that has experienced a 70-80% decline in the last five years. Among the potential agents for this event, infectious diseases are strongly suspected. The aim of this study was to define the epidemiology of the haemoparasite, Theileria penicillata, in four localities: Karakamia, Keninup, Balban and Warrup. Light microscopy examination (LME) of 274 woylie blood smears was used in the study to establish T. penicillata parasitaemias (via count) and to detect any erythrocyte and leukocyte morphological changes. The protozoa prevalence and average parasitaemias (AP) were considered in relation to gender, location, and body condition; while AP was assessed in relation to haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, haematocrit (HCT) and red blood cell (RBC) counts to evaluate possible clinical outcomes of the infectious agent. The study highlighted previously unreported morphological findings of the erythrocytic cycle of T. penicillata in the woylie. Parasite infection did not account for any morphological alterations of the RBC and leukocytes. Piroplasm prevalence did not significantly vary between males and females, but was strongly associated with the locality of sampling. Higher and similar AP was detected in Balban and Keninup, while Warrup presented the lowest AP. AP was also strongly associated with Hb only rather than Hb, HCT and RBC count altogether. The reason why this occurred is uncertain and requires further investigation.
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Conservation Science Western Australia 5, 12–18
Conservation Science W. Aust. 9 (3) : 239–248 (2015) The diet of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in fragmented Wheatbelt reserves in Western Australia: implications for woylies (Bettongia penicillata) and other native fauna NICOLA J MARLOW ab *, ANDREW AE WILLIAMS ab, NEIL D THOMAS ab, BRIAN MACMAHON b AND JOHN LAWSON b a Department of Parks and Wildlife, PO Box 51 Wanneroo, WA 6946, Australia b Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre 48 Oxford Street, Adelaide, SA 5061, Australia * Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT The diet of foxes in two fragmented Wheatbelt reserves in south-west Western Australia, Dryandra Woodland (DW) and Tutanning Nature Reserve (TNR), was investigated. Fox baiting commenced in these reserves in the early 1980s and the trap success of woylies (Bettongia penicillata), a threatened species, increased significantly. Woylie capture rates were sustained in TNR until 1992 and in DW until 2000 but then decreased suddenly despite ongoing fox control. The diet of foxes was investigated as part of a larger study examining the reasons for the woylie decline. The contents of 283 fox scats from DW and TNR, and 167 scats from two unbaited sites, Quinns block (QB) and Highbury block (HB), were analysed volumetrically to determine the relative importance of each dietary item. The actual consumption of each item was calculated using digestibility estimates. In baited sites the foxes’ main dietary components were house mice (Mus domesticus, 28%), carrion (sheep, Ovis aries and western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus; 26%) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, 17%). In unbaited sites the main components were carrion (predominately sheep, 60%) and some invertebrates (13%).
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Digging and Soil Turnover by a Mycophagous Marsupial
ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Arid Environments Journal of Arid Environments 56 (2004) 569–578 www.elsevier.com/locate/jnlabr/yjare Digging and soil turnover bya mycophagous marsupial Mark J. Garkaklis*, J.S. Bradley, R.D. Wooller Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Western Australia 6150, Australia Received 21 October 2002; received in revised form 17 March 2003; accepted 7 April 2003 Abstract The woylie Bettongia penicillata is a small (1 kg) kangaroo-like marsupial that digs to obtain the fruiting bodies of fungi. The number of woylies in a 60 ha area of sclerophyll woodland in south-western Australia was estimated using mark-recapture at 3 month intervals over 3 successive years. The number of new diggings by woylies, determined at the same intervals, allowed an assessment of the rate of digging per individual. This varied three-fold from 38 to 114 diggings per individual per night, with no consistent seasonality. On average, each woylie displaced 4.8 tonnes of soil annually. r 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Population size; Bettongia penicillata; Sclerophyll woodland; Biopedturbation 1. Introduction Digging and burrowing are behaviours common to manymammals, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems (Kinlaw, 1999; Whitford and Kay, 1999). For example, the heteromyid rodents, gophers and prairie dogs of North America (Steinberger and Whitford, 1983; Heske et al., 1993; Mooneyand Hobbs, 1994, pp. 73–81; Guo, 1996) porcupines and ibex in Israel (Gutterman and Herr, 1981; Yair and Rutin, 1981; Gutterman, 1997; Alkon, 1999) badgers in Europe (Neal and Roper, 1991, pp. 89–106) aardvark and porcupine in southern Africa (Dean and Milton, 1991; Devilliers and van Aarde, 1994) and the potoroid rat-kangaroos in Australia (Claridge and May, 1994; Garkaklis et al., 1998, 2000) all dig or burrow.
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Bettongia Penicillata
THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The Minister approved this conservation advice and retained this species in the Endangered category, effective from 01/02/2018 Conservation Advice Bettongia penicillata woylie Note: The information contained in this conservation advice was primarily sourced from ‘The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012’ (Woinarski et al., 2014). Any substantive additions obtained during the consultation on the draft has been cited within the advice. Readers may note that conservation advices resulting from the Action Plan for Australian Mammals show minor differences in formatting relative to other conservation advices. These reflect the desire to efficiently prepare a large number of advices by adopting the presentation approach of the Action Plan for Australian Mammals, and do not reflect any difference in the evidence used to develop the recommendation. Taxonomy Conventionally accepted as Bettongia penicillata (Gray 1837). Two subspecies are recognised: B. p. penicillata in south-eastern Australia, now Extinct; and B. p. ogilbyi in south-western Australia. The subspecific classification of Bettongia penicillata is unresolved. It is possible that the two subspecies represent distant ends of a cline that terminated in south-eastern Australia (subspecies penicillata ) and south-western Australia (subspecies ogilbyi ). A species in northern Queensland ( B. tropica ) was originally described as a subspecies of B. penicillata , but is no longer recognised as part of that species. This assessment applies to the entire species, B. penicillata , although only one subspecies, B. p. ogilbyi , is extant. Summary of assessment Conservation status Endangered: Criterion 1 (A2)(b)(e) and Criterion 2 B2(a),(b)(ii,iii,iv).
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Woylie Or Brush-Tailed Bettong
Woylie Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Identification The brush-tailed bettong Bettongia penicillata is a small kangaroo-like marsupial that was once found throughout much of mainland Australia. The subspecies Bettongia penicillata penicillata, endemic to south-eastern Australia, is considered extinct. Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi, commonly known as the woylie, is the only surviving subspecies and is found in the south- west of Western Australia. Photos: M. Bundock (left); R. McLean (right) Woylies have yellowish grey to reddish brown fur with a pale belly and a long, prehensile tail with a black brush at the end. They have strongly clawed forefeet, used for digging for food and nest making. They move about using all four legs and sometimes also their tail when foraging, but when flushed, they will bound extremely fast on their back legs with the head held low, back arched and tail almost straight. Head and body length: 280-365mm Tail length: 250-360mm Weight: 745-1850g Taxonomy Family: Potoroidae Genus: Bettongia Species: penicillata Subspecies: ogilbyi Other common names: brush-tailed bettong, brush-tailed rat-kangaroo Distribution and Habitat Brush-tailed bettongs were found across most of southern and central Australia prior to European settlement and the introduction of feral cats and foxes. The woylie is endemic to the south-west of WA but they are now only known from two areas: Upper Warren and Dryandra Woodlands. There are also translocated populations at Batalling, and inside fenced areas in Mt Gibson, Karakamia and Whiteman Park and also in New South Wales and South Australia, and on islands in SA.
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2013–142.05 Mb
Department of Parks and Wildlife Science and Conservation Division annual research report 2013–14 DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE There has been much change since we became the Department of Parks and Wildlife in July 2013, with renewed focus on conservation of Western Australia's unique plants and animals and our world- class network of parks, reserves and natural areas. Our Strategic Directions for 2013-14 recognised that science and research play a critical role in effective management of species and ecosystems. In October 2013 the Science Division was amalgamated with the Nature Conservation Division providing new opportunities for science to more directly inform conservation policy and management, and for management requirements and knowledge gaps to set research priorities. While much of our work supports the conservation priorities of the Wildlife corporate goal, we also provide scientific research and information to support delivery of the Parks, Fire, Managed Use and People corporate goals. The combined responsibilities of the divisions are focused around two main areas of Species conservation and Landscape conservation. Our work in species conservation involves activities, such as species and community recovery, wildlife protection and licensing, understanding species biology and taxonomy, while our landscape conservation work is focused on landscape and seascape management, development advice and liaison, understanding ecosystem processes and biological survey. Information systems and monitoring and evaluation link across both species and landscape conservation activities. Across all areas, effective exchange of knowledge and information to support legislation and policy is fundamental to effective delivery of wildlife management outcomes. Partnerships have always been an important means of achieving our outcomes.
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Woylie Conservation Research Project the Woylie Has Been Hailed As One of the Success Stories of Wildlife Conservation Programs Like DEC's Western Shield
DEC Website (2010) http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/view/3230/1630/ Woylie Conservation Research Project The woylie has been hailed as one of the success stories of wildlife conservation programs like DEC's Western Shield. In 1996, it was the first endangered species to be removed from listing under the Commonwealth Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 as a direct result of a recovery program. However, a dramatic decline in woylie numbers has been observed over the past few years. With funding from Saving our Species, the State Government's biodiversity conservation initiative, research is now under way to determine possible causes. Juvenile woylie (Photo: Sabrina Trocini)” On 22nd January 2008 the then Environment Minister, David Templeman, re-listed the woylie as endangered under Schedule 1 of the State Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The assessment of the conservation status of the woylie and the Woylie Conservation Research Project are funded through Saving our Species. About the woylie What is a woylie? Woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) are small marsupials that weigh between 1 and 1.5kg. They are distantly related to kangaroos. They are also known as brush-tailed bettongs because of the distinctive black brush they have at the end of their tail. ‘Woylie' is the indigenous Nyoongar name which refers to their ability to carry leaves and DEC Website (2010) http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/view/3230/1630/ sticks with their tail. Woylie at Keninup forest Woylies are nocturnal and forage primarily for underground fungi (native truffles). They also eat seeds, tubers and bulbs. What important role does the woylie play in the environment? Woylies make many diggings in search of their favourite food, underground fungi.
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Conserving the Endangered Woylie (Bettongia Penicillata Ogilbyi): Establishing a Semi-Arid Population Within a Fenced Safe Haven
RESEARCH doi: 10.1111/emr.12402 REPORT Conserving the endangered woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi): Establishing a semi-arid population within a fenced safe haven By Michael Smith, Georgia Volck, Nicola Palmer, Chantelle Jackson, Carly Moir, Raquel Parker, Bryony Palmer and Adele Thomasz Michael Smith, Georgia Volck, Nicola Palmer, Summary Measuring and monitoring population size and growth are critical to assess- Chantelle Jackson, Carly Moir, and Raquel ing the progress and ultimately the success (or failure) of a reintroduction. The Woylie (Bet- Parker a Regional Ecologist, Senior Field tongia penicillata ogilbyi) is one of Australia’s threatened critical weight range mammals. To Ecologist, Senior Field Ecologist, Senior Field increase the species’ area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, number of sub-populations and global population size, in addition to creating a source population for future reintroduc- Ecologist, Field Ecologist, and Field Ecologist, tions, a new population has been re-established into a safe haven located within the spe- respectively, with the Australian Wildlife cies’ former range – Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary. In this paper, we document the first Conservancy (PO Box 8070 Subiaco East, Perth, 3 years of the reintroduction programme, over which time 162 individuals were translocated WA 6008, Australia; Email: Michael.Smith to Mt Gibson. Specifically, we (i) provide information on survivorship, (ii) estimate changes @australianwildlife.org). Bryony Palmer and in critical population metrics (density, population size and distribution) and (iii) look for any major habitat preferences. Survivorship of collared animals was complete (i.e. zero mortal- Adele Thomasz are both former Field Ecologists ity). The most recent population estimate was in the order of 750 individuals, reflecting with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.
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t'\ I MAMMAL CONSERVATION COURSE 1995 ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF TEE WOYLIE, TAMMARQUOKKA AND GILBERT'S POTOROO. 1. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION. Woylies,tammar wallabies,quokkas and Gilbert's potorooare all marsupialsthat are indigenousto the southwest of WA. Quokkaare endemic (only occur) in this regionbut the othersare represented by differentsub-species in otherStates. A11four are"Critical Weight Range" (CWR) mammals. That is to saythey weigh bett-een 50 gramsand 5.5 kilograms.In ananalysis ofthe pattemsof{ecline andextinction of Australianmammals, Andrew Burbidge and Norm McKenzie'showed that our appallin recordis moreor lessconfined to mammalsin this range;larger and smaller species have faredbetter. Table1. Scientificnames, Families and weights of Gilbert'spotoroo, woylie, quokka tammarwallaby with fox, rabbitand two othermacropods for comparison ,Q-qu!p!-Naue - ---Ienilr---lsreultlslI4rle .,.,.-,....,....,, -,.. Jl-e'eh! {ed- , Gilbert's Potoroo Potoroidae Polorous tridactylus gilbertii 1,000 Woylie Potoroidae Bettongidpenicillataogilbyi 1,300 Quokka Macropodidae Setonixbrachyarus 3,2s0 Tammarwallaby MacropodidaeMocropus eugcnii 4,200 Brushwallaby Macropodidae Macropusirma 8,000 Westn Grey Kangaroo Macropodidae Macropus fttligtnosus 38,500 Rabbit Leporidae Oryctolctguscuniculus 1,580 Fox Canidae Vulpesvulpes --_5-Jqq.--- Many CWR speciesthat havedisappeared from mostof theirformer mainland range have survivedon islands.Those that havesurvived on the mainlandhave often persisted in their mostmesic habitats. Even there most have only survivedin specialcircumstances. AmongstCWR mammals,species that fly (bats),or live in treesor in rock pileshave been moreresilient. We couldperhaps add extremely dense vegetation to the list ofhabitatsthat haveoffered some shelter because that hasprobably been critical to Gilbert'spotoroo and mainlandquokka. Habitatscontaining an abundance ofplants that naturallycontain 1080 also seem to have providedprotection. For instanceit is easybut wrongto think ofwoyliesas typically forestanimals.
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The Importance of the Woylie
The importance of the Woylie (Bettongia pencillata or Brush-Tailed Bettong) to assist the spread and natural regeneration of the Western Australian Sandalwood tree, Santalum Spicatum, has been observed and recorded for some time. The effects on the Woylie populations throughout Western Australia with the removal of their habitat and the introduction and spread of predatory animals has been significant. The Woylie is listed as critically endangered with some providences on the verge of extinction. Marty & Connie Winch-Buist have been assisting the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre by donating good quality WA Sandalwood Nuts from their Greenhills property to assist with the captive breeding program. The Woylies absolutely love these nuts. The sandalwood nuts assist to provide a natural high protein food source which helps to support the high metabolism of the Woylies. Some of the other residents at Kanyana also enjoy the WA Sandalwood Nut treats which helps to supplement their diets and provide an additional activity when they play with and crunch up shells. These include the Boodie (Bettongia lesueur or Burrowing Bettong), several species of possum and Henry the Red Tail Black Cockatoo. Recently the team at Kanyana provided some wonderful news and were able to confirm some breeding success with the Tutanning group of Woylies. The press release is included along with some images of a recent visit to meet some of the residents of Kanyana. Contact details for Kanyana are available at http://www.kanyanawildlife.org.au Boodie Lauren introduces Henry gurgling to Connie to an elderly Connie Bilby Boodie enjoying a nut treat .
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