Big bunny rat
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Large bunny rat ( Leporillus conditor ) in the Alice Springs Desert Park night house |
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| Leporillus conditor | ||||||||||||
| ( Sturt , 1848) |
The large bunny rat ( Leporillus conditor ), also known as the long-eared bunny rat, is probably the only living representative of the genus Australian bunny rats within the subfamily of the old world mice (Murinae).
Appearance
With a head body length of 17 to 26 cm, a tail length of 14.5 to 18 cm and a weight of 180 to 450 g, the species is a larger representative of the old world mice. It has hind feet 4 to 4.8 cm long and ears 2.8 to 3.2 cm long. The animals have a short and dense yellow-brown to gray-brown fur that turns cream-colored to whitish on the belly. Reddish shades often appear before the transition. The head has a short snout, the rest of the body rather rounded. The ears are elongated and blackish brown. The rear feet are significantly longer than the front paws. They are covered with dark hair except for a white spot or line on the top. The long, thin, hairy tail is fringed at the end. It has a dark brown top and a gray bottom. In females, there are two pairs of teats in the groin area.
distribution
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This species was originally found in the states of Western Australia , New South Wales, and South Australia . There she lived in the dry grass plains. Today it can only be found on offshore islands or in protected areas.
In the 1930s, the species only occurred on the approximately 5 km² Franklin Islands , which belong to South Australia. The inventory had shrunk to a few hundred copies during this time. After the establishment of breeding programs, the population on the Franklin Islands rose again to around 1,000 specimens. Further large bunny rats were settled on Saint Peter Island (South Australia) and Salutation Island (Western Australia), where the current populations (as of 2018) are 1000 and 600 individuals, respectively. Smaller protected areas with around 50 animals emerged on the mainland.
Way of life
Large bunny rats feed primarily on plants, especially succulents , leaves of bushes, herbs and fruits, which are occasionally complemented with grasses. You hardly need any additional hydration.
The sociable, nocturnal animals live in pairs or in small groups. They build ground nests up to 1.50 meters high in which they sleep through the day. The nests are usually next to a bush or a hollow tree. Families with 10 or rarely 20 specimens can occasionally reside in large nests. Most groups consist of 5 or 6 individuals. On the other hand, older females were registered who did not accept other females in the area. The animals rarely move further than 150 meters from the burrow in search of food.
Reproduction
The animals can reproduce in all seasons, but most offspring are born in autumn and winter. The female gives birth to several litters of up to four young each year. Before that, they are about 44 days pregnant.
Danger
Since the total population of this animal species is estimated at only a few 1000 specimens, this species is considered threatened. The reasons for the continuing decline in the population are the persecution of the animals by foxes and domestic cats that have gone wild and the destruction of their habitat by grazing sheep and rabbits. Protected areas have been designated to protect the species; the Franklin Islands in the Nuyts Archipelago Conservation Park are particularly important here . Furthermore, the breeding takes place in captivity and several research projects are ongoing to determine the population and to take conservation measures. The species is listed in Appendix I (total trade ban) of the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species.
literature
- Wilson, Lacher Jr. & Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World . 7 - Rodents II. Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 723 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Wilson, Lacher Jr. & Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World . 7 - Rodents II. Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 723 (English).
- ↑ a b Leporillus conditor in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Woinarski, J. & Burbidge, AA, 2018. Accessed on November 3 of 2019.
