Kariri
The kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei ), also known by its Diyari name kariri, is a small carnivorous marsupial native to the gibber deserts of central Australia. It is monotypic; the sole member of genus Dasyuroides.
Other names for the species include brush-tailed marsupial rat, bushy-tailed marsupial rat, kawiri, Kayer rat, and Byrne's crest-tailed marsupial rat.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Altricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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SolitaryAe
AestivationAestivation is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is chara...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe kowari is most readily distinguished from the its closest relatives, the mulgaras, by having a thick, bushy brush of black hairs fully encircling the end of its tail. Other distinguishing features include having four toes on each hindfoot (as opposed to five), and the fact that the base of its tail is never fattened (tail base is often fattened in the brush-tailed mulgara, and occasionally fattened in the crest-tailed mulgara).
Male kowaris are slightly larger than females, with males weighing 85-175 g, and females weighing 70-140 g. Head-body length is between 14-18 cm for males and 13.5-16 cm for females, with both sexes having tails 11-16 cm long.
The kowari is found in stony desert areas of the Lake Eyre drainage basin, including the Sturt Stony Desert in north-eastern South Australia and south-western Queensland's Channel Country. Its range is declining, and it is now extinct in the Northern Territory.
Kowaris inhabit open gibber plains between braided river channels and sand dunes. They prefer areas where rocks are flat, even-sized and smaller than 5 cm, and there are few shrubs. They burrow in small sand mounds, which form in depressions on the gibber plain, and hunt nocturnally between the sand mounds and on the gibber plain. During the day, they generally remain inside their burrows, but may emerge to bask at its entrance.
The kowari is an opportunistic and voracious hunter, with its regular diet including the Long-haired Rat (Rattus villosissimus ), House Mouse (Mus musculus ), geckoes, insects and other arthropods, including centipedes. Most animals of equal or smaller size to the kowari may be considered prey if the opportunity arises, including birds. Kowaris kill with strong bites to the head, although they do not always strike the optimal location.
Kowaris reach sexual maturity at 10-11 months old, and will commence breeding in their first year of life. Breeding occurs in May-December, with each female producing up to six pouch young. They have a gestation period of 35 days, after which the young are firmly attached to the teat for ~56 days. Other development milestones include eyes opening at 74 days, play-fighting beginning at 86 days and switching to solid food at ~95 days. Once weaned, the young will live independently. Wild kowari lifespans average little more than a year, although some have been known to live and breed for two years in the wild, or longer in captivity.
The kowari's primary threat is habitat degradation, particularly by livestock, but also rabbits. Other threats include being preyed upon by (and being in competition for prey with) feral cats, foxes, and dingoes, as well as climate change, possible poisoning by insecticides and baits, and the loss of habitat for road construction material.
Overstocked cattle are known to degrade the sand mounds which kowaris burrow in for shelter, and by eating the sparse vegetation associated with the mounds, they also reduce the shelter available for kowari prey. There is strong evidence that overstocking of cattle has reduced kowari abundances at some sites, and possibly led to their extirpation at others.
Kowaris now have a highly fragmented population, with a high proportion of the subpopulations likely to be un-viable in the face of current threats.
The kowari is listed as a Vulnerable species under both the Australian Federal EPBC Act and IUCN Red List, as well as Vulnerable in Queensland, Endangered in South Australia, and Extinct in the Northern Territory.
Much of its remaining range is currently run as pastoral land for the production of beef. In Queensland, it is protected in both the Astrebla Downs and Diamantina National Parks, although it has not been seen in Diamantina National Park since 2012. In South Australia, none of its current range falls under conservation tenement.
