This slideshow presents three of Australia's native endangered animals: the southern bent-wing bat, the northern hairy-nosed wombat and the Tasmanian Devil. It discusses their physical features, behaviour, ecology, threats and conservation efforts. Efforts have been made to use credible resources and this is also discussed, as well as an extensive list of references.

1. Australian Endangered
Animals
Claire Seale, Natalie Perez, Kathryn Lopez
and Esther De Silva

2. Introduction
This slideshow presents information on 3 of Australia’s
endangered animals:
• Southern Bent Wing Bat
• Tasmanian Devil
• Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat
The presentation will discuss physical features (description),
behaviour, ecology, threats and conservation measures regarding
the above animals.

3. Southern Bent Wing Bat
‘Miniopterus Schreibersii Bassanii ’

4. Description
 The Southern Bent Wing
Bat is a microbat native
to South Australia
(Government of South
Australia, 2013).
 The name ‘bent wing’
comes from the bent
appearance of the bat’s
wing created by the
length of its third finger
(Barry, 2014).
 length:52-58mm
 weight: 15g
 distinctive short-muzzle
 back: red-dark brown
fur
 front: grey-brown fur
(Churchill, 1998)
 wingspan is 2.5x
length of its body
(Barry, 2014)
Image: Bourne, unknown.

5. Behaviour and Ecology
HABITAT
The Southern bent wing bat can be located
in the south-east areas of South Australia
and western Victoria. They dwell mostly in
caves and can be found in wetlands,
vineyards and woodlands where they
forage (Department of the Environment,
2014).
DIET
Classified as ‘insectivorous’, these bats feed
upon moths, beetles and crickets (South
West Integrated Flaura and Fauna Team,
2007). Being nocturnal, they use
echolocation (ultrasound emission) to
search for food at night (Zoos Victoria,
unknown).
BREEDING
Females produce one ‘pup’ between the
months of October and January in what
has been termed ‘maternity caves’,
which are caves of optimal climate and
structure for nursing (Government of
South Australia, 2013).
LIFE CYCLE
The estimated life-span of the Southern
bent wing bat is 5-7 years (Lumsden & Gray,
2001). They migrate to maternity caves
around August. Pups are able to leave the
cave with adults by 3 months.

6. Threats
The Southern bent-wing bat has declined approximately 67% in population since the
90s, with a current population of around 40,870.
 loss habitat: destruction of native vegetation, maternity caves and human
disturbance
 drought: lack of rain affects availability of insects
 pesticide: ingestion of insects which have had exposure to pesticides
 predators: owls, rats, feral cats and foxes
 windfarms: windfarms located near roosting caves and maternity caves
(Department of the Environment, 2014)

7. Conservation Efforts
The Southern Bent-wing bat is classified as critically
endangered under the Australian Conservation Status (EPBC
Act).
 The Friends of Naracoorte Caves (South Australia) was
granted $14,745 in 2009 to determine the requirements for
their habitat (Department of the Environment, 2014).
 Bat Cave, one of two major maternity caves, has a World
Heritage listing and is protected (Government of South
Australia, 2013).
 No specific recovery plan is in place as of yet (Barry, 2014).

8. Tasmanian Devil
‘Sarcophilus Harrisii’

9. Description
 The Tasmanian Devil is the largest living carnivorous marsupial in
Australia.
 A fully grown adult stands up to 30cm in height, grows up to 60cm’s in
length and weighing between 8 to 12kg (Parks and Wildlife Tasmania,
2014).
 Devils are covered in thick black fur with white markings on their
chest, each marking is distinct to the individual like a finger print.
(Australia Zoo, 2014).
 Its thick neck and large head gives it the strongest bite per kilo gram
of body mass than any other land animal.

10. Behaviour and Ecology
 Tasmanian Devils are nocturnal, and as such are rarely seen in the
wild. They are hunters, usually consuming all parts of an animal.
 They can run up to 10kms per hour for up to an hour, are great tree
climbers and swim across rivers (The Department of Primary
Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, 2011).
 Research has proven they occupied main land Australia between 3000
to 4000 years ago but are now only found Tasmania.
 The devils habitat is quite diverse and they are found in all parts of
Tasmania including suburban fringes.

11. Threats
 The single largest threat to the wild Tasmanian Devil today is the
cancerous Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). It first appeared in
1996 and since then has wiped out 80% of the wild population, moving
its status from ‘least concern’ to ‘endangered’ (Tasmanian Treatment,
2014).
 DFTD is a transmissible cancer spread between individuals through
biting. The animal will usually die within a few months of cancer
becoming visible. The tumours are located around its mouth and
nose, which prevents them from eating.
 Death is normally a result of starvation or breakdown of body
functions due to the cancer (Parks and Wildlife Tasmania, 2014).

12. Conservation Efforts
 There is a small dedicated team of researchers working to
save the Tasmanian Devil from extinction.
 It is headed up by Professor Greg Woods from University of
Tasmania.
 They are collaborating with experts from all over the
world to share research information however a cure is still
not tangible (Tasmanian Treatment, 2014).

13. Northern Hairy Nosed
Wombat
‘Lasiorhinus Krefftii’

14. Description
 The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat is a
marsupial native to Australia.
 They can range from 71cm to 119cm and can
weigh 40 – 32kg.
 It has a longer and broader muzzle, with
significantly more pointed ears than the
other species of wombat.
 The scientific name for them is Lasiorhinus
krefftii and they are also know in the
Indigenous culture as Yaminon (Wildlife
Queensland, 2013).
Image: Australia Zoo, 2007

15. Behaviour and Ecology
 They live in complex and extensive burrows found in eucalyptus
forests and grasslands. Burrows are divided into groups of ten for
females and males living in solitary. (National Geographic, 2014).
 They are nocturnal and embark from their burrows at night to eat.
Their diets consists mainly of grass, roots and bark (National
Geographic, 2014).
 The Northern Hairy Nosed wombat used to live in regions across New
South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Their rapid decline in numbers
means they can only be found in Epping Forest National Park in
Central Queensland (Department of the Environment and Heritage,
2014).

16. Threats
 The Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat is critically endangered and is one
of Australia’s rarest marsupials (Wildlife Queensland, 2013).
 They are vulnerable to many threats, for example, predators such as
the Dingo.
 The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat became extinct in Moonie River
and Deniliquin in the 1900s because of introduced species of grazing
animals and drought. Drought continues to inhibit these animals from
breeding (Wildlife Queensland, 2013).
 Bushfires are also a threat, destroying the grass which is their main
food supply (Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2014).

17. Conservation Efforts
 One main conservation effort is the maintenance of Epping Forest
National Park, which protects them from destructive human impact on
their habitat (Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2014).
 They are considered Critically endangered (IUCN Red List) Endangered
under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act and federal EPBC Act.
 There are current recovery plans in process protecting and
encouraging population increase in the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat
which include:
o a volunteer caretaker program that monitors and repairs fences that
protect the wombats from predators
o DNA fingerprint identification of wombat hairs which allows for tracking of
the wombat without trapping (Department of the Environment and
Heritage, 2014)

18. Credibility of Resources
 According to Metzger (2007), credibility of online resources should be assessed using the
following five criteria: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and scope. Our process for
evaluating credibility involved determining the date stamp for currency, author
identification for authority, presence of advertising for objectivity, referencing for accuracy
and breadth of information for scope.
 The Department of the Environment website is an Australian Federal Government website,
so authority is assumed. Its scope is great as it covers many areas, was updated in 2014, and
provides a list of references, many of which are books, journal articles and government or
organisation websites. Renowned organisations such as National Geographic, The Australian
Geographic Website and Zoos Victoria were also used. They are viewed as experts on native
Australian animals, and being updated in the past 2 years, are current.
 The sources cross referenced against each other, were listed in the first page of a Google
search, presented similar information, had no advertising, were recently updated and
referenced sources and further research. It is for these reasons that we believe our online
resources to be highly credible.

19. References
Australia Zoo, (2007). [Online Image]. Retrieved September 13, 2014 from:
http://www.australiazoo.com.au/about-us/zoo-gossip/454-wombats-will-dig-this
Australian Zoo (2014). Mammals: Tasmanian Devil. Retrieved September 8 2014,from:
http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/tasmanian-devils
Barry, C. (2014). Australian geographic blogs: southern bent-wing bat. Retrieved September 6, 2014
from: http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/australian-endangered-species/
2014/05/endangered-animal-southern-bent-wing-bat
Bourne, S. (unknown) [Online image]. Retrieved September 6, 2014 from:
http://www.zoo.org.au/animals/southern-bent-wing-bat
Brown, O.F.J (2006 ). Tasmanian Devil extinction on the Australian mainland in the mid-Holocene:
Multicausality and ENSO intensification. Retrieved September 1, 2014 from:
https://sydney.academia.edu/OliverBrown
Churchill, S.K. (1998). Australian Bats. Sydney: Reed New Holland.
Department of The Environment (2014). Lasiorhinus krefftii in Species Profile and Threats Database,
Department of the Environment, Canberra. Retrieved September 1, 2014 from:
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=198
Department of the Environment (2014). Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii in Species Profile and
Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Canberra. Retrieved September 6, 2014
from: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?id=76606

20. References
Government of South Australia (2013). Bioregion fact sheet about the southern bent wing bat.
Retrieved September 7, 2014 from: http://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/
Lumsden, L. & P. Gray (2001). Longevity record for a Southern Bent-wing Bat Miniopterus schreibersii
bassanii. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter. 16:43-4
National Geographic (2014). Common Wombat. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from National
Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/wombat/
Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania (2014). Tasmanian Devil , Retrieved September 1, 2014 from:
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=387
South West Integrated Flora & Fauna Team (2007). Common Bent-wing Bat. [Online]. Retrieved
September 7, 2014 from: http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Common_Bent-wing_Bat.
The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, (2011). About Tasmanian
Devils. Retrieved August 28, 2014 from: http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf/
Wildlife Queensland. (2013). Wildlife. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from:
http://www.wildlife.org.au/wildlife/speciesprofile/mammals/northern_hairy_nosed_wombat.html
Woods, G (2014). Tasmanian Treatment, International Innovation pg 22-23. Retrieved August 2014,
from: http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf/news/6F362FB1D2D4E8D9CA257D0900226421