‘Extinct’ marsupial found living in Australian outback
A TINY Australian marsupial has been discovered in an outback region of Australia in which it was thought to have gone extinct more than a century ago.
The crest-tailed mulgara, a furry pocket-sized carnivore with a distinctive black crest of hairs on its tail, was found by researchers in Sturt National Park, a dry parkland in the north-west corner of the state of New South Wales.
It was the first time a live mulgara has been found in the state, though it was known to have once existed there due to fossilised bone fragments.
The species is known to exist in a desert about 170 miles away in the state of South Australia.
Researchers from the Uni versity of New South Wales made the discovery of the creature during a project to monitor local wildlife.
“The crest-tailed mulgara was once widely distributed across sandy desert environments in inland Australia, but declined due to the effects of rabbits, cats and foxes,” said Rebecca West, an ecologist from the university.
The researchers plan to create two fenced enclosures in the national park and restore species that have not been seen there for 90 years or more.
The fence will help to keep out non-native predators such as wildcats.
“Reintroduced native mammal species will include greater bilby, burrowing bettong, western quoll and western barred bandicoot,” said Jaymie Norris, from the Parks and Wildlife Service.
Since the arrival of British settlers, which led to the introduction of diseases and predators, Australia has lost about 30 native mammals.
The crest-tailed mulgara is known for its ability to survive in arid conditions. According to the Australian Museum, it preserves water by producing highly concentrated urine.