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The Greater Stick-Nest Rat (Leporillus
conditor)
The Greater Stick-nest Rat is a threatened
native rodent. It was once widely distributed across southern Australia,
declining rapidly with European settlement and the spread of livestock
during the nineteenth century. It became extinct on the mainland in the
1930s, remaining only on East and West
Franklin Islands
off the coast of South Australia.
The species has been reintroduced to a number of islands in South Australia and Salutation
Island at Shark Bay, Western Australia.
They are renowned for the construction of
large communal nests made of branches and lined with grass and soft
vegetation, and a gentle nature that makes them easy targets for predators.
The rats are exclusively herbivorous and eat leaves and fruits of succulent
plants such as bluebush and saltbush. One to three young are born after a
gestation period of 44 days, becoming independent two months later. They
can breed all year, and are capable of producing two or three litters per
year.
The species has been successfully reintroduced
to a number of islands, however most attempts at mainland reintroductions
have been unsuccessful. The reintroductions have met with failure due to
predation by introduced predators - foxes and feral cats, and through a
lack of cover to avoid predation by introduced and native predators, such
as goannas and owls.
Shading indicates former distribution, black
dots give present distribution
Greater Stick-nest Rats were reintroduced to a
1400 hectare enclosure near Roxby Downs in South Australia in 1998, and the
population is being monitored. In August and October 1999, and October
2001, Greater Stick-nest Rats were released at Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western
Australia. Forty eight animals were released in a
co-operative effort between CSIRO, the Useless Loop community, Shark Bay
Salt Joint Venture, Earthwatch volunteers, and the Western Australian
Department of Conservation and Land Management. The population on Heirisson Prong is
still extant in 2004, albeit at very low numbers.
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