Northern hair-nosed wombat
| Northern hair-nosed wombat | ||||||||||||
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Northern hair-nosed wombat |
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| Lasiorhinus krefftii | ||||||||||||
| ( Owen , 1873) |
The Northern haarnasenwombat ( Lasiorhinus krefftii ), also Yaminon called, is a Beutelsäugerart from the family of Wombats (Vombatidae). It is one of the most threatened Australian mammals.
description
Like all wombats, the northern hair-nosed wombats are characterized by their massive, bear-like build. The skull looks flattened, the muzzle is relatively broad and hairy. The ears are long and pointed. Their soft, silky fur is gray-brown in color. These animals reach a head body length of up to 1 meter, the short tail is 3 to 6 centimeters long, and their weight is 25 to 40 kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Northern hair-nosed wombats were originally common in eastern and southeastern Queensland, as well as parts of eastern New South Wales . By 1910 they were extinct in most of their range, so that today they only occur in an area of three square kilometers in the Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. Their habitat are semi-arid, open forest areas or grasslands.
Way of life
These animals are ground dwellers, they dig burrows underground. These burrows can grow together to form a complex tunnel system that is sometimes shared by several animals. Nevertheless they are loners, each animal has its own, around 10 hectare large foraging area. Northern hair-nosed wombats are nocturnal. While they sleep in these burrows during the day, they go in search of food at night. They primarily eat grass.
Reproduction
The mating season of these animals is in spring or summer, the birth usually falls in the months of November to March. Usually a single young is born and spends its first six to seven months in its mother's pouch, which is open at the back. It is weaned after eight to nine months and is sexually mature at around two years of age. In three years the female can give birth to two young.
threat
Northern hair-nosed wombats are among the rarest and most endangered Australian mammals. In most of their range, they became extinct in the first decades of the 20th century; they were only able to survive in a small region in central Queensland . Although this area was converted into a nature reserve in 1971, cattle were still allowed to graze in it. As a result of this food competition, the total population fell to 25 animals in the early 1980s. After the cattle population was curbed, the wombat population increased slightly. The 2016 census found 240 animals within the national park. Together with ten animals in the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge , it makes a total population of 250 animals. The IUCN lists the species as critically endangered because its range only covers around three square kilometers and an outbreak of an epidemic or severe drought would be fatal for the species to survive. The protective measures are also made more difficult by the fact that the wombats are difficult to keep in human care and breeding programs rarely succeed.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quuensland Government: Department of Environment and Science: Northern hairy wombat , accessed October 5, 2019
Web links
- Lasiorhinus krefftii in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: D. Taggart, T. Robinson, A. Horsup, 2008. Accessed January 2 of 2009.