Northern Brown Bandicoot
Isoodon macrourus
Life span: 2-4 years. Size: head-body: 30-47cm/ tail: 8-21cm/ weight:
500-3100gms.
Breeding: 4 months old, can breed all year round, 1-7 young are born but
(usually 2-4), the young joey’s stay in mum’s pouch for 2 months
Habit: nocturnal, solitary. The males are aggressive, marking areas with a
scent gland behind the ear and occupying home ranges of about 5
hectares; female home ranges are about 2 hectares.
Diet: insects, larvae, worms, grass seeds, berries, and plant roots. They
locate their food by smelling, digging conical holes with the forefeet and
probing with the snout.
Voice: a sneezing noise
Conservation: killed by pet cats and dogs. They are also killed by cars
when crossing roads at night. They have declined in numbers due to loss
of habitat from land clearing for houses and buildings. Some bandicoot
species are threatened.
Found: in grasslands, rainforests, and wet, dry woodlands.
Squirrel Glider
Petaurus norfolcensis
Life span: 5 – 10 years. Size: head-body: 17-24cm/ tail: 22-30cm/
weight: 170-300gms.
Breeding: females at 18 months old and males at 12 months old,
Breeding season - May to December, 1-3 young stay in mum’s pouch for 2
months. Are weaned at 4 month old
Habit: nocturnal, live in family group of 10, all sleep in a tree hollow
during the day. They can glide up to 50m.
Diet: acacia gum (wattle gum), eucalyptus sap which is released by the
gliders biting the bark with their sharp teeth. They also eat insects, and
nectar from native flowers.
Voice: they utter guttural chattering call.
Conservation: are killed by foxes, feral and pet cats. They are also killed
by electricity wires when climbing on them and they touch two wires at
the same time.
They are also declining due to loss of suitable tree hollows, land clearing
for houses, buildings and logging
Found: in wet and dry forests and woodlands.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Common Ringtail Possum
Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Life span: 5-10 years. Size: head-body: 30-39cm/ tail: 30-39cm/ weight:
660-1100gms.
Breeding: 13 months old, May – November, 1 -3 babies usually twins, they
stay in the mums pouch for 4 months. After this time they emerge from
the pouch and ride on their mothers back. They are weaned at 6-7months
old.
Habit: nocturnal, during the day they sleep in a nest called a “drey”,
which is made from leaves, bark, twigs and grasses. The drey is found in a
fork of a tree, stump or hollow.
et: native plants and flowers (eucalyptus leaves, bottle bush) they will
also eat roses and fruit from fruit trees.
Voice: it has a soft high pitched twittering call.
Conservation: are killed by foxes, feral and pet cats. They are also killed
by cars when crossing roads at night and electricity wires when climbing
on them and they touch two wires at the same time.
Found: eucalyptus forests, rainforest, coastal forest woodland and
suburban gardens.
Common Brushtail Possum
Trichosurus vulpecular
Life span: 10-14 years. Many young males die in the first 1-2 years of
age trying to establish their own territory / home range.
Size: head-body: 35-55cm/ tail: 25-40cm/ weight: 1.5-4.0kg.
Breeding: females at 12 months old and males at 24 months old.
Normally breeding occurs around autumn and spring, but can breed all
year around. A single young is born 17-18 days after mating, twins are
sometimes born and stay in the mums pouch for 5 months. After this
time they emerge from the pouch and ride on their mothers back.
They are weaned at 6-7months old.
Habit: nocturnal, during the day they sleep in stumps or tree hollows.
They also inhabit roofs of houses. Brush Tail Possums are very territorial
Diet: native plants, fruits, grass, insects, flowers (eucalyptus leaves,
bottle bush), eggs and occasionally nestlings they will also eat roses and
fruit from fruit trees.
Voice: loud chattering and screeching
Conservation: are killed by foxes, feral and pet cats. They are also killed
by cars when crossing roads at night and electricity wires when climbing
on them if they touch two wires at the same time. They were introduced
to New Zealand where they are regarded as a pest, and are hunted for
their fur. In Australia they are protected.
Found: eucalyptus forests, rainforest, coastal forest woodland and
suburban gardens.
Rufous Bettong
Aepyprymnus rufescen
Life span: 5-7 years
Size: head-body: 35-39cm/ tail: 35-39cm/ weight: 1.5-3.5kg.
Breeding: 9-12 months, breed all year round, a single young is born and
stays in the pouch for 4months, then emerges from the pouch and
suckles from the mother
Habit: nocturnal, solitary or found in small groups feeding
Diet: grasses, roots, herbs, seeds and tubers which they dig up using
their forefeet
Voice: includes low hisses when alarmed or threatened, growls and grunts
when interacting with other bettongs.
Conservation:
Found: in well grassed open forests, during the day they sleep in cone
shaped nest that they have built at the base of a tussock or other native
grasses. The nest is built by gathering grass in their mouth and carrying
the grass back to the nest in their tail. The nest is then lined with the
grass to make a soft dry bed.
Spinifex Hopping Mouse
Notomys alexis
Life span: up to 4 years. Size: Head-body: 9-11cm/ Tail: 11-15cm/
Weight: 30-50gms.
Breeding: 8 weeks old, mate after periods of good rainfall, 3-4 young are
born. Weaned at 4 weeks of age
Habit: nocturnal, feeding at night, they, during the day they sleep in a
deep humid burrow 1m below ground. Up to 10 mice will live in the burrow
which has a nesting chamber lined with grass. During the day they plug up
the entrance to the burrow with sand to reduce the loss of moisture.
Diet: feeding on seeds, leaves, roots and insects. They can survive
without drinking.
Conservation: populations are stable.
Found: woodlands, deserts, arid regions, spinifex and tussock grasslands.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au
Ferret
Life span: 8-10 years
Size: head-body: body: 35-46cm tail: 10-19cm Weight: 500gms -1500gms
Breeding: 1 year old in spring/summer 3-10 young are born
Habit: solitary, night hunters. They sleep for around 18 hours per day,
waking up throughout this time for 1-2 hours at a time to play and eat.
When awake, ferrets are very active, they love to play and explore.
Having a ferret as a pet is like having a 2 year old child. They can also
squeeze through a small hole to escape. If their head can fit through,
then their whole body can. Both male and female mark their territory
with an oily yellow musk, which has a pungent smell, they also use this
musk smell when threatened, angry or excited. Vets can remove this
gland to stop them smelling so much.
Diet: in captivity they eat canned cat food, biscuits, fruits and
vegetables. Raw chicken wing tips are good for the ferret to chew on for
healthy teeth.
Voice: sounds like they are saying what, what, what very softly when
happy, they also make a scratchy hissing sound.
Conservation: 9 out of 10 Polecats in Europe are hit by cars and killed.
Found: Ferrets originated from the Polecat which are found in Europe.
Polecats were domesticated to be used for hunting and catching rabbits.
Ferrets are smaller than Polecats
Domestic Rabbit
Life span: average 5-8 years, but they can live as long as 15 years
Size: head-body:
Breeding: at 1 year old, they have 4-10 babies (kits) depending on size of
rabbit and species. Length of pregnancy (gestation period) is 28-32 days.
They open their eye at 2 weeks of age and are weaned by 6-8weeks, at 5
weeks of age they are starting to eat hay, grass and solid food.
Male(buck) rabbits are aggressive to each other and should be neutered
(desexed) at 6-8 months old if they are to be housed together.
Female(doe) rabbits should be spayed (desexed) at 6-8 months old to
reduce the risk of uterine cancer and mammary cancer.
Spayed and neutered Rabbits are both healthier and more lovable pets
Habit: nocturnal, Rabbits like and need to chew, they will chew on
electrical cords so keep them out of reach. Rabbits can also be kitterbox
trained. Rabbits housed outdoors should be protected from direct
sunlight, as rabbits can die from heat exposure.
Diet: grasses, hay (oaten hay), rabbit pellets, roots, herbs, fruit,
vegetables and lots of greens. Limit the amount of fruit your rabbits eat
as they love sugar and too much is bad for your rabbits as it upsets the
bacteria in the gut.
Fat-tailed Dunnart
( Sminthopsis crassicaudata )
Life span: 2½ years Size: head-body: 6-9cm/ tail: 4-7cm/(mouse size)
weight: 10-20gms.
Breeding: 4-5 months old, breed season June to February, 8 – 10 young
or born, 13 days after mating. The young are attached to teats in the
mother’s pouch for 43 days then at 60 days detach from the teats. After
60 day in the pouch they leave the pouch and stay a nest while the mum is
out feeding, at around 70 days old the baby(joeys) are weaned.
Habit: Carnivorous marsupial active mainly at night, during the day they
sleep in a nest made of dry grasses and other plant material.
The nest is constructed under logs, tree stumps, rocky crevices or cracks
in the ground in arid areas.
They are generally solitary but in cold weather are found in groups
huddled together in the nest to keep warm. During cold weather they
have the ability to go into at state of torpor(this is similar to
hibernation) this can last for several hours or days. During this time
they use the fat they have stored in their tail.
Diet: Insects, small lizards and juvenile rodents.
They can survive without drinking if their food is moist.
Found: In coastal and arid inland areas with open woodlands,
low shrublands, tussock glasslands.
*All Australia Native Animals are protected by the Fauna Protection Act. For more information call
National Parks and Wildlife S.A ph: 81244972 or www.wildlifepermit.sa.gov.au