Discover and engage
Rare and endangered species: True or false –
Text alternative
Within the forest there are rare and endangered plant and animal species.
You have been appointed environmental officer. Your job requires you to know
certain facts about endangered plant and animal species. You can read about
five of these endangered species in the following paragraphs. Read each
paragraph and, using a suitable method, test your knowledge by answering the
question that follows.
You can print a copy of this activity. To check your answers go to the last page.
1.
The chuditch is a small nocturnal animal with distinctive white spots on its
light-brown coat. It is a carnivore that feeds on small mammals, reptiles
and invertebrates. It is now restricted to the South-West of Western
Australia, preferring the jarrah forest.
The chuditch would best be described as a secondary consumer.
True or False
2.
The western ringtail possum is a threatened animal restricted to coastal
areas of tuart-peppermint woodland, isolated pockets of jarrah forest and
areas along rivers within karri forest. The western ringtail requires older
trees with hollows for nesting. Its diet is mainly made up of leaves, fruit
and flowers.
The western ringtail possum would best be described as a tertiary
consumer.
True or False
© WestOne Services 2009
S&E751
1
3.
Tuart trees once extended along the coast of WA from Jurien Bay to
Busselton but have been extensively cleared, making tuart woodland now
one of the rarest ecosystems in the world.
Tuart forests have been extensively cleared due to the expansion of
agricultural and urban land uses as well as early logging practices.
True or False
4.
Woylies are small marsupials that live in very small pockets in the forests
and woodland where there is thick undergrowth for cover and nesting. The
woylie, which resembles a small wallaby, uses its long claws to forage for
bulbs, fungi and insects. Clearing of its habitat, and introduced species
such as the fox and cat, nearly wiped out the woylie from WA; however,
with increased fox control their numbers are recovering.
The woylie is a primary consumer requiring thick undergrowth to live and
breed.
True or False
5.
Baudin’s cockatoo and the forest red-tailed black cockatoo live in the
southern eucalypt forests, and have been declared threatened fauna.
They feed on the seeds of eucalypts such as marri and jarrah trees and
banksias. They nest in the hollows of karri, marri and jarrah trees. Clearing
of forests and feral bees invading hollows, as well as orchard farmers in
the past shooting vast numbers, have contributed to their threatened
status.
Baudin’s cockatoo and the forest red-tailed black cockatoo feed and breed
in the wet and dry sclerophyllous forests of WA.
True or False
© WestOne Services 2009
S&E751
2
Rare and endangered species – Text alternative answers
1.
True
2.
False
3.
True
4.
True
5.
True
Many more species are under threat in Western Australia due to the actions of
humans. Try finding out what we can all do to help reduce the pressure we put
on plant and animal species, and to help maintain this biological diversity.
© WestOne Services 2009
S&E751
3