Endemic Endangered Species

"Rainforest Fruits" Image from WTMA

One of the great things about the Wet Tropics Region and Australia are all the unique animals. Famous ones include kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, platypuses, and emus.  When you have unique species like these that naturally occur in populations isolated to a country or region they are known as endemic.

But here are some special endemics that you might not have heard of.

First: Plants! There are over 2,800 species and over 700 of those are endemic. Orchids, ferns, epiphytes, trees, forbs, and so much more.

Then Animals!

Bennett's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus)
                Tree-Kangaroos are shy arboreal marsupials that live n the rain forest canopy and eat leaves and fruits. though they are called kangaroos they don't "hop" instead they use their long tails for balance. Sightings are rare.

"Spotted-tailed quoll" Source: redorbit.com

Spotted-tailed quoll (northern subspecies; Dasyurus maculatus gracilis)
                The Spotted-tailed quoll is a tiny, cat sized predator with a prehensile tail. It is an opportunistic predator and will eat anything it can catch-even reptiles! They hunt and are usually encountered at night making them a nocturnal inhabitant of the forest. Their population, however, is in decline due to competition with feral and invasive animals like cats and foxes.



Rufous owl (Ninox rufa)

"Rufus Owl" Source:http://ibc.lynxeds.com

                Ninox rufa or rufous owl/boobok is one of  the largest Queensland owls, however it would appear very little data exists about its current populations. John Kanowski’s (1998) research seems to encourage the idea that their population is abundant in higher elevation rainforests in Queensland. Birdlife.org, an independent research and conservation group has it listed as a species of least concern due to the size of it’s range. However, Birdlife.org also states that the population of Ninox rufa has never been quantified and appears to be in decline do to habitat loss. This bird is also considered to be rare, due to the small number of sitings.(Birdlife.org 2012) Based on papers by Kanowski (1998) and Mooney (1998)  it is inferred that Ninox rufa requires both edge and deep forest habitat. The edge habitat is used primarily for hunting and the deep forest is needed for sufficient tree hollows that can be used as nesting sites.(Kanowski 1998, Mooney 1998) According to a short bird breeding report of the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Department from the 1970s, this bird conducts breeding in July. (Lavery 1974) Ninox rufa is considered rare based on few sightings and declining populations but, is also coming under threat due to habitat loss. (Birdlife.org 2012)

"Lace-lid" Source:wetlandinfo.derm.qld.gov.au

Australian lace-lid (Nyctimystes dayi)
                 Also known as the lace-eyed tree frog, this little amphibian lives in montane regions of the Wet Tropics region. It is usually associated with rocky streams of various speeds. Unfortunately it also appears to be in decline. It is believed that threats to this species include effects from past and current habitat destruction and introductions of viruses or disease. This may include Chytridiomycosis, a deadly disease affecting amphibians world wide and is known to exist within the region.

And of course the Southern Cassowary! (see earlier post)


Sources Include:Wet Tropics Management Authority http://www.wettropics.gov.au/endemic-species,  BirdLife International 2012. Species factsheet: Ninox rufa. Retrieved March 182012 from http://www.birdlife.org., Kanowski, John., 1998. The Abundance of the Rufous Owl Ninox rufa in Upland and Highland Rainforests of North-east Queensland. Emu CSIRO Publishing. Vol.98, 58-61
Lavery, H.J., 1985. Short Communication:Breeding Seasons of North-Eastern Australia, First Supplement 1967-1974. Queensland National Parks and WIldlife Service., Mooney, Nick. 1998. Status and Conservation of Raptors in Australia’s Tropics. The Raptor Research Foundation Inc. 32(1): 64-73
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1813,