Southern Brown Bandicoot
Isoodon obesulus nauticus
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 26/03/2008
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Least Concern
Listed since: 16/05/2014
Population trend: Decreasing
Other names: Southern Brown Bandicoot (Nuyts Archipelago)
Priority Species? No
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
The Southern Brown Bandicoot (Nuyts Archipelago) occurs on islands in the Nuyts Archipelago, off the west coast of South Australia�s Eyre Peninsula. The islands feature granite boulders with limestone domes and large sand dunes. The Southern Brown Bandicoot is omnivorous, eating both plants and animals. It forages for food mainly by digging in the leaf litter and soil to find insects, fungi and plant root nodules and bulbs. The bandicoots
prefer to live in areas with thick vegetation and construct nests under plants on the ground.
Threats
The main identified threats to the Southern Brown Bandicoot (Nuyts Archipelago) include habitat disturbance, and extinction of local populations due to its susceptibility to stochastic events, as a result of its extremely limited distribution.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
41
To help compare the relative vulnerability of different species, we have developed a scoring system based on biological and ecological characteristics that influence a species' ability to survive and recover from environmental change and natural disasters.
The framework is adapted from assessment methods used by conservation experts following the Black Summer bushfires to help identify species most in need of conservation action, research, and recovery funding.
Each species is assessed using a range of factors, including its conservation status, lifespan, reproductive rate, habitat and dietary requirements, ability to disperse or recover after fire, and the number and severity of threats it faces.
In general, the higher a species' score, the greater its overall vulnerability and risk of decline or extinction.
Like all conservation assessments, this scoring system is limited by the information currently available. Many threatened species remain poorly studied and receive limited research funding, meaning some assessments rely on the best available scientific knowledge or information from closely related species. As new research becomes available, scores may be updated to reflect our improved understanding.