Sandhill dunnart

Last updated

Sandhill dunnart
Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila).webp
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Sminthopsis
Species:
S. psammophila
Binomial name
Sminthopsis psammophila
Spencer, 1895
Sandhill Dunnart area.png
Sandhill dunnart range

The sandhill dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) is a species of carnivorous Australian marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. [3] It is known from four scattered semi-arid areas of Australia: near Lake Amadeus in Northern Territory, the central and eastern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, the southwestern and western edges of the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia, and at Yellabinna in South Australia. [4]

Contents

Description

The sandhill dunnart is commonly known as a species of "marsupial mouse". The genus name of dunnart was likely derived from the Noongar word “danard". [5] It is the second largest of the 19 dunnart ( Sminthopsis ) species, with an adult body mass of up to 30 g (1.1 oz) for females and 55 g (1.9 oz) for males. [6] Adults are usually 10 to 16 cm (3.9 to 6.3 in) long. Only the Julia Creek dunnart is larger, weighing 40–70 g (1.4–2.5 oz). [4]

It is identified by its compartively larger size and bicoloured fur patterning (typically grey dorsally and white ventrally). The tail is clearly contrasted (dark ventrally/lighter dorsally) and terminally crested. Its forehead usually has a noticeably dark stripe. [4]

Its thermoneutral body temperature is around 34.4 °C (93.9 °F). While the sandhill dunnart's physiology resembles that of other dunnarts, penile morphology and molecular biology [7] suggest that it is basal to its genus. [8]

The sandhill dunnart usually moves by running smoothly on all four legs, sometimes with sudden short stops, during which they often squat with the forebody slightly elevated.[ citation needed ] The maximum speed recorded for S. psammophila is 3 km/h (1.9 mph). [9]

Ecology

Diet

The species prefers to eat invertebrate prey, such as ants, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, termites, wasps and centipedes. [6] In the Western Great Victoria Desert, the sandhill dunnart has an ant-rich diet, commonly consuming Camponotus spp. (sugar ants) and Iridomyrmex spp. (meat ants). [9] However, dunnarts are thought to be a generalist feeders and extremely opportunistic. [6] Other recorded prey species are gastropods, geckos, skinks and mice. [6] [9] Food intake remains high in all seasons, varying only slightly in proportion. [10]

Physiology

In severe conditions when food is scarce, the sandhill dunnart enters short and shallow periods of torpor. The species’ documented states of mental and physical inactivity helps it to conserve water and energy. [10] From an analysis of the sandhill dunnart's metabolic, thermal, and ventilatory physiology, the organism's body temperature ranges, including thermoneutral, thermolability below thermoneutral, and mild hyperthermia temperatures are typical of those seen in small dunnarts and dasyurids. [8]

Reproduction

Sandhill dunnarts typically begin breeding in September, with offspring born from September to October. [6] Pouch young, dependent young and weaned juveniles are present in October. [6] However, juveniles have been trapped between October and April. [6] This information may suggest that with the right conditions in a good season, sandhill dunnarts may be able to produce another litter. There is a sixteen- to nineteen-day interval between mating and birth. [11] [12]

Sexual maturity for both the male and female dunnart is reached by one year of age. [11] The age at which dunnarts are no longer able to reproduce is undetermined. [10] In captivity, males can breed at five years and females at three years. [11] In the wild, S. psammophila typically survives for one breeding season but this can extend to two seasons in favourable conditions. [13]

Behaviour

Sandhill dunarts are typically solitary and nocturnal, emerging shortly after dusk and foraging almost continuously until dawn. [9] During the day, they typically shelter from the climatic extremes of the desert within burrows. [14] Populations have naturally low densities but can increase significantly following major rainfall events. [15] Individuals exhibit both “resident” or highly mobile “transient” behaviour to locate resource patches when they become available. [16]

Distribution

The sandhill dunnart currently inhabits sandy, semi-arid regions dominated by spinifex (Triodia) grasslands in South Australia and Western Australia. [6] [17] However, the type specimen was caught “with a thrown boot” during the Horn Expedition in 1894 in the Northern Territory. [18] Subsequently, it was recorded in owl pellets only in Uluru’s caves. Shortly after, the sandhill dunnart was mistakenly presumed extinct. [19]

In 1969, the sandhill dunnart was detected on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. [20] Eyre Peninsula is a well-studied stronghold. [6] [13] [21] Records have been radiocarbon dated to approximately 2-3 thousand years ago. [22] From the 1990s, the Yellabinna Regional Reserve in South Australia was confirmed as a second stronghold. [23] From 2017, several S. psammophila records were confirmed between the Eyre Peninsula and Yellabinna populations. [24]

The third stronghold is the Western Australian Great Victoria Desert. Individuals were detected near Mulga Rockhole in 1985 and later in/near Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve and near Tropicana Gold Mine. [25] [26] [27] [28] In 2018, another population was detected 150 km north of the known range. [17] Ancient sandhill dunnart bones have been recorded by Dr Alex Baynes near Yalgoo and Lake Barlee (400-600 km west of the current population), indicating that the sandhill dunnart was once more widespread in Western Australia. [17]

Each stronghold is genetically differentiated, based on the frequency of microsatellite alleles and CR haplotypes, and should be considered as distinct Management Units for conservation. [16] Yellabinna and Western Australian populations share a mtDNA haplotype, indicating historical connectivity across the southern Great Victoria Desert. [16] No significant genetic structure or sex-biased dispersal was detected locally, suggesting that both sexes are highly mobile. Individuals can therefore relocate to neighbouring resource patches when available. [16]

Although previously more widespread, the sandhill dunnart has experienced a significant range contraction. [16] [17] The sandhill dunnart may continue to contract south in the future because of the effects of climate change. [17] Due to the cessation of suitable spinifex habitats in the south, the Great Victoria Desert populations are at risk of extinction by 2070. [17]

Habitat

Sandhill dunnarts are nocturnal and typically dig burrows to shelter from the climatic extremes of the day. [14] In Western Australia, burrows are often concealed under mature spinifex hummocks (32+ years since fire). [14] Burrows have been recorded over two metres deep, but are typically 35 cm deep, with an entrance 4 cm high by 5 cm wide. [14] In South Australia, burrows range from about 12 to 110 centimetres in length and are up to 46 centimetres deep. [6] Females can dig deeper burrows with a chamber used for raising their young. [6] Spinifex hummocks, other hummock species (e.g., Lepidobolus deserti and Schoenus hexandrus), logs, a piece of bark, the burrows of other species (e.g., Notomys alexis) and a burned mallee tree trunk have also been used as shelters. [6] [14]

Sminthopsis psammophila requires habitat with mature vegetation. [6] [21] In Western Australia, long unburned (32+ years since fire), dense lower stratum (usually spinifex) sand plain and dune slope habitats are preferred. [9] [14] Whereas less vegetated sand dune crests are used rarely. In South Australia, complex habitats with an abundance of logs and spinifex hummocks over 40 cm high are important for S. psammophila. [13] [21] There is a preference for ‘Stage 3’ spinifex hummocks (fire age: 8-20 years) in areas of Eyre Peninsula. [6]

Home range and population density

The average home range area determined with radio and GPS tracking is 70 ha (range 6-274 ha). [9] Home range area is influenced by sex and reproductive status and it is not known whether home ranges can overlap. Sandhill dunnarts are caught infrequently and simultaneous tracking of individuals in an area is rare. [6] [9] Sandhill dunnarts are not recaptured often making mark-recapture population assessments problematic. [29] Hence, the population density of the sandhill dunnart is difficult to estimate.

Threats

The decline of the sandhill dunnart is likely due to a combination of factors. [30] [31] Predation by introduced species such as the red fox and feral cat, habitat degradation by livestock grazing, land clearance (e.g., in Eyre Peninsula where only 43 % of the original vegetation remains [6] ) and changed fire regimes are likely contributors. [32] [33] [34]

Wildfires are a major threat to the sandhill dunnart as it requires mature spinifex grassland habitats. [6] [21] A single large wildfire can eradicate an entire population. [35] However, the sandhill dunnart has been radio tracked to shelters in a range of fire ages, including recently burned habitats. [6] [14] If they survive wildfires, sandhill dunnarts may recolonise small patches of habitat because of their large home ranges and high mobility. [9] [16] As suitable habitat remnants become increasingly isolated this reduces the likelihood of recolonisation. It is therefore important to maintain habitat connectivity across the landscape to enable sandhill dunnarts to maintain genetic diversity. [16]

Climate change is a significant threat to the sandhill dunnart and many other species in Australia. [17] [36] [37] Rapidly increasing temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns and more frequent/extreme events (e.g., wildfires and droughts) are particularly dangerous in Australia. Water is already scarce, vegetation is highly flammable, and the generally flat landscape impedes elevation shifts that allow species to compensate against rising temperatures. [38] [39]

Modelling predicts that under RCP 8.5 which is our current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pathway, suitable habitat for S. psammophila may reduce by 95% in Western Australia by 2050. [17] By 2070, only the Eyre Peninsula population may remain viable and the continental distribution of S. psammophila may contract by up to 80%. [17] However, this contraction could be halved if emissions peak in 2040 then reduce (RCP 4.5).

Conservation

Sminthopsis psammophila is listed as ‘Endangered’ under the Australian Federal EPBC Act (1999). Western Australian populations are listed as ‘Endangered’ by the Biodiversity Conservation Act (2016) and South Australian populations are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the National Parks and Wildlife Act (1972). The IUCN conservation status has fluctuated from ‘Data Deficient’ to ‘Endangered’ and is now classified as ‘Vulnerable’. However, the IUCN conservation status of S. psammophila may require review. [17] Climate change in Australia and synergistic extinction pressures are immediate concerns.

The sandhill dunnart has some protection against clearing within reserves, such as the Ironstone Hill Conservation Park and the Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area in South Australia, and the Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve in Western Australia. In 2001, a national recovery plan was published. [6] The recovery plan is currently under review by DCCEEW.

Suggested actions to conserve sandhill dunnart populations include preventing further habitat loss, conducting surveys in areas predicted as present for S. psammophila and implementing monitoring programs for key populations. [6] [9] [13] Artificial habitats may be beneficial for dunnart conservation. [40] Translocations to reserves in climatic refuges or to artificial desert ecosystems may be required. [17] Species distribution modelling is useful to find new populations of threatened species such as the sandhill dunnart. [17] Further research on captive individuals to increase reproductive biology knowledge has been suggested. [6]

In Tjuntjuntjara, the Pila Nguru Rangers have established conservation programs in sandhill dunnart habitats. [41] Prior to colonisation, sandhill dunnart habitats were managed by the First Australians. [42] [43] Cultural/traditional burning practices promoted landscapes which supported fauna and flora. [44] Globally, two-way science and right-way fire programs have produced results for many threatened species. [45] [46] [47] Hence, Indigenous Protected Areas are key for the conservation of Australian species. Citizen science projects with community groups such as the Friends of the Great Victoria Desert should be also promoted. [6]

Most significantly, mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions is vital for the conservation of S. psammophila and many other Australian species. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Victoria Desert</span> Desert in Western Australia and South Australia

The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Numbat</span> Species of Australian marsupial

The numbat, also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyuridae</span> Family of marsupials

The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil and the extinct thylacine. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, underground, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic. The Dasyuridae are often called the 'marsupial carnivores', as most members of the family are insectivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunnart</span> Genus of mammals (Sminthopsis; marsupials)

Dunnart is a common name for species of the genus Sminthopsis, narrow-footed marsupials the size of a European mouse. They have a largely insectivorous diet.

<i>Antechinus</i> Genus of marsupials

Antechinus is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kultarr</span> Species of marsupial

The kultarr is a small insectivorous nocturnal marsupial inhabiting the arid interior of Australia. Preferred habitat includes stony deserts, shrubland, woodland, grassland and open plains. The kultarr has a range of adaptations to help cope with Australia's harsh arid environment including torpor similar to hibernation that helps conserve energy. The species has declined across its former range since European settlement due to changes in land management practices and introduced predators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sminthopsini</span> Tribe of marsupials

Smintopsini is a tribe of marsupial in the family Dasyuridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed dunnart</span> Species of mammal

The fat-tailed dunnart is a species of mouse-like marsupial of the Dasyuridae, the family that includes the little red kaluta, quolls, and the Tasmanian devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slender-tailed dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The slender-tailed dunnart, also known as the common dunnart in Australia, is a dasyurid marsupial. It has an average body length of 7 to 12 centimeters (2.8–4.7 in) with a tail length of 5.5 to 13 centimetres (2.2–5.1 in). It weighs 25–40.8 grams for males and 16.5–25.4 grams for females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The long-tailed dunnart is an Australian dunnart that, like the little long-tailed dunnart, has a tail longer than its body. It is also one of the larger dunnarts at a length from snout to tail of 260–306 mm of which head to anus is 80–96 mm and tail 180–210 mm long. Hind foot size is 18 mm, ear length of 21 mm and with a weight of 15-20 g.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-faced dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The striped-faced dunnart is a small, Australian, nocturnal, "marsupial mouse," part of the family Dasyuridae. The species' distribution occurs throughout much of inland central and northern Australia, occupying a range of arid and semi-arid habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Creek dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The Julia Creek dunnart is a marsupial with a buffy brown upperside and white underside. This dunnart has a body length of 100–135 mm with a tail of 60–105 mm to make a total length of 160–240 mm. Its weight is between 40 and 70 g. The length of the hind foot is 22–24 mm. The species has a dark brown triangle colour from above and below the eye with the point at the nose, and another dark stripe on top of the skull. A healthy dunnart has a carrot-shaped tail filled with fat stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangaroo Island dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The Kangaroo Island dunnart is a dark sooty-grey coloured dunnart species first described in 1969, with paler underparts of its body. It has an average body length of 170–198 mm, a snout to anus length of 80–93 mm, a tail measurement of 90–105 mm, a hind foot of 17.5 mm, ear length of 18 mm and a weight of 20–25 grams. The thin tail is also gray, but lighter on the bottom. The tail is longer than the body. Kangaroo Island dunnarts are dimorphic, with males larger than females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-bellied dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The grey-bellied dunnart, alternately spelled gray-bellied dunnart, was described by the same people Kitchener, Stoddart and Henry along with the Kangaroo Island dunnart, Gilbert's dunnart and little long-tailed dunnart in 1984. They also described the Mallee ningaui in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ooldea dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The Ooldea dunnart, also called Troughton's dunnart after the person who found the species, is an Australian marsupial similar to the hairy-footed dunnart. It is greyish-yellow on its upper body and white on the underside with dark patches on its crown, forehead and in front of the eyes, and a pink thinly furred carrot-shaped tail. Its total length is 11.5–17.3 cm (4.5–6.8 in); its average body length is 5.5–8 cm (2.2–3.1 in) with a tail of 6–9.3 cm (2.4–3.7 in). Its ear length is 14–17 mm (0.55–0.67 in). It weighs between 10 and 18 g.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern ningaui</span> Species of marsupial

The southern ningaui is a tiny marsupial carnivore belonging to the Dasyuridae family. Similar in appearance to Ningaui ridei, found throughout central Australia, this species occurs in spinifex on semi-arid sandplains across the southern coast of the continent. The fur is a tawny or greyish olive colour, light grey below, and distinguished by shades of cinnamon. The southern ningaui prefers smaller prey, including insects and spiders, but capable of killing and consuming larger animals such as cockroaches and skinks. Their narrow muzzle is used with quick and fierce bites about the head to despatch their meal. The species was first described in 1983, and placed within the genus Ningaui.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser hairy-footed dunnart</span> Species of marsupial

The lesser hairy-footed dunnart is a small carnivorous Australian marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It is a widespread and fairly common species, being found in many desert areas of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Its foraging strategies have been studied by Haythornthwaite and Dickman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crest-tailed mulgara</span> Species of marsupial

The crest-tailed mulgara is a small to medium-sized Australian carnivorous marsupial and a member of the family Dasyuridae which includes quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, Tasmanian devil and extinct thylacine. The crest-tailed mulgara is among a group of native predatory mammals or mesopredators endemic to arid Australia.

References

  1. Woinarski, J.; Burbidge, A.A. (2016). "Sminthopsis psammophila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T20293A21947794. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T20293A21947794.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices". CITES. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  4. 1 2 3 Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 74.
  5. Walton, Dan W.; Richardson, B.J.; Australian Biological Resources Study, eds. (1989). Fauna of Australia. 1B: Mammalia. - 1989. Canberra: Australian Gov. Publ. Service. ISBN   978-0-644-06056-1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Churchill, Sue (2001). "Recovery Plan for the Sandhill Dunnart, Sminthopsis Psammophila" (PDF). South Australia: Biodiversity Conservation Program Department for Environment and Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  7. Archer, Mike (1982). Carnivorous Marsupials (Volume 2 ed.). New South Wales, Australia: Royal Society of New South Wales. pp. 397–443.
  8. 1 2 Withers, Philip C.; Cooper, Christine E. (3 July 2009). "Thermal, Metabolic, Hygric and Ventilatory Physiology of the Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila; Marsupialia, Dasyuridae)". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 153 (3): 317–323. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.03.006. PMID   19285566.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Riley, J.; Heterick, B.; Zeale, M.; Turpin, J.; Jayatilaka, B.; Jones, G. (2022). "The ranging, habitat selection, and foraging ecology of an endangered small desert mammal, the sandhill dunnart Sminthopsis psammophila". Journal of Mammalogy. 103 (5): 1141–1152. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyac051 . Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  10. 1 2 3 "Biodiversity". Australian Government: Department of the Environment. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Lambert, Cathy; Gaikhorst, Glen; Matson, Phillip (2011). "Captive breeding of the sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila (Marsupialia:Dasyuridae): reproduction, husbandry and growth and development". Australian Mammalogy. 33 (1): 21. doi:10.1071/am10004. ISSN   0310-0049.
  12. "Sandhill Dunnart". Australian Fauna. 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 McLean, Amanda Louise (2015). Conservation biology of an endangered semi-arid marsupial, the sandhill dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) (PhD). University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Riley, Joanna; Turpin, Jeff M; Zeale, Matt R K; Jayatilaka, Brynne; Jones, Gareth (2021-04-01). "Diurnal sheltering preferences and associated conservation management for the endangered sandhill dunnart,Sminthopsis psammophila". Journal of Mammalogy. 102 (2): 588–602. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyab024. ISSN   0022-2372. PMC   8245887 . PMID   34220372.
  15. Letnic, Mike; Dickman, Christopher R. (2006). "Boom means bust: interactions between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), rainfall and the processes threatening mammal species in arid Australia". Biodiversity & Conservation. 15 (12): 3847–3880. Bibcode:2006BiCon..15.3847L. doi:10.1007/s10531-005-0601-2. ISSN   0960-3115.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McLean, Amanda L.; Cooper, Steven J. B.; Lancaster, Melanie L.; Gaikhorst, Glen; Lambert, Cathy; Moseby, Katherine; Read, John; Ward, Matthew; Carthew, Susan M. (2019-02-22). "Small marsupial, big dispersal? Broad- and fine-scale genetic structure of an endangered marsupial from the Australian arid zone". Australian Journal of Zoology. 66 (3): 214–227. doi:10.1071/ZO18054. ISSN   1446-5698.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Riley, J; Zeale, MR; Razgour, O; Turpin, J; Jones, G (2021). "Predicting the past, present and future distributions of an endangered marsupial in a semi-arid environment". Animal Conservation. 24 (5): 890–903. doi:10.1111/acv.12696. hdl: 10871/125540 .
  18. Horn Scientific Expedition; Expedition, Horn Scientific; Horn, William Austin; Spencer, Baldwin; Spencer, Baldwin (1896). Report on the work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia. London: Dulau. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.52122.
  19. Parker, Shane A. (1973). "An annotated checklist of the native land mammals of the Northern Territory". Records of the South Australian Museum. 16 (11): 1–57.
  20. Aitken, P. F. (1971). "Rediscovery of the Large Desert Sminthopsis (Sminthopsis psammophilus Spencer) on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia". Victorian Naturalist. 88: 103–111.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Moseby, Katherine; Read, John; McLean, Amanda; Ward, Matthew; Rogers, Daniel J. (2016). "How high is your hummock? The importance of T riodia height as a habitat predictor for an endangered marsupial in a fire-prone environment". Austral Ecology. 41 (4): 376–389. Bibcode:2016AusEc..41..376M. doi:10.1111/aec.12323. ISSN   1442-9985.
  22. Baynes, Alex (1987). The original mammal fauna of the Nullarbor and southern peripheral regions. In: A Biological Survey of the Nullarbor Region: South and Western Australia in 1984. Adelaide, Australia.: South Australia Department of Environment and Planning. pp. 139–152.
  23. Copley, Peter; Kemper, Catherine (1992). A Biological survey of the Yellabinna region, South Australia in October 1987. South Australia.: Department of Environment and Heritage.
  24. Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board (2024). "Sandhill dunnarts". Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape.
  25. Hart, R. P.; Kitchener, D. J. (1986). "FIRST RECORD OF SMINTHOPSIS PSAMMOPHILA (MARSUPIALIA DASYURIDAE) FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 13 (1): 139.
  26. Pearson, D. J.; Robinson, A. C. (1990). "New records of the sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in South and Western Australia". Australian Mammalogy. 13 (1): 57–59. doi:10.1071/am90009 (inactive 2024-03-19). ISSN   1836-7402.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link)
  27. Van Dyck, Steve; Strahan, Ronald, eds. (2008). The mammals of Australia (3rd ed.). Sydney, N.S.W. London: New Holland. ISBN   978-1-877069-25-3.
  28. Turpin, Jeff; Lloyd, Ray (2014). Sunrise Dam - Tropicana infrastructure corridor fauna survey. Perth, Australia: Kingfisher Environmental Consulting. Report prepared for AngloGold Ashanti Australia.
  29. Riley, Joanna (2020). Spatial ecology and conservation management of the endangered sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila. PhD dissertation. Bristol, United Kingdom: University of Bristol.
  30. Doherty, Tim S.; Dickman, Chris R.; Nimmo, Dale G.; Ritchie, Euan G. (October 2015). "Multiple threats, or multiplying the threats? Interactions between invasive predators and other ecological disturbances". Biological Conservation. 190: 60–68. Bibcode:2015BCons.190...60D. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.05.013. ISSN   0006-3207.
  31. Woolley, Leigh-Ann; Geyle, Hayley M.; Murphy, Brett P.; Legge, Sarah M.; Palmer, Russell; Dickman, Christopher R.; Augusteyn, John; Comer, Sarah; Doherty, Tim S.; Eager, Charlie; Edwards, Glenn; Harley, Dan K.P.; Leiper, Ian; McDonald, Peter J.; McGregor, Hugh W. (October 2019). "Introduced cats Felis catus eating a continental fauna: inventory and traits of Australian mammal species killed". Mammal Review. 49 (4): 354–368. doi:10.1111/mam.12167. ISSN   0305-1838.
  32. Burbidge, Andrew A.; McKenzie, N.L. (1989). "Patterns in the modern decline of western Australia's vertebrate fauna: Causes and conservation implications". Biological Conservation. 50 (1–4): 143–198. Bibcode:1989BCons..50..143B. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(89)90009-8. ISSN   0006-3207.
  33. Bradstock, Ross A; Gill, A Malcolm; Williams, Richard J, eds. (2012). Flammable Australia. doi:10.1071/9780643104839. ISBN   978-0-643-10483-9.
  34. Burrows, N.D.; Burbidge, A.A.; Fuller, P.J.; Behn, G. "Evidence of altered fire regimes in the Western Desert region of Australia". Conservation Science Western Australia. 5: 14–26.
  35. Gaikhorst, Glen; Lambert, Cathy (2008). Fauna trapping survey - Great Victoria Desert – April 2007. Report to CALM. Perth, Australia: Report to CALM.
  36. HUGHES, LESLEY (2008-06-28). "Climate change and Australia: Trends, projections and impacts". Austral Ecology. 28 (4): 423–443. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2003.tb00266.x. ISSN   1442-9985.
  37. Steffen, Will (2009). Australia's Biodiversity and Climate Change. doi:10.1071/9780643098190. ISBN   978-0-643-09819-0.
  38. Pittock, A. Barrie (2013-12-02). Climate Change: The Science, Impacts and Solutions (2 ed.). London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315870359. ISBN   978-1-315-87035-9.
  39. Lindenmayer, David B.; Steffen, Will; Burbidge, Andrew A.; Hughes, Lesley; Kitching, Roger L.; Musgrave, Warren; Stafford Smith, Mark; Werner, Patricia A. (July 2010). "Conservation strategies in response to rapid climate change: Australia as a case study". Biological Conservation. 143 (7): 1587–1593. Bibcode:2010BCons.143.1587L. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.014. ISSN   0006-3207.
  40. Bleicher, Sonny S; Dickman, Christopher R (2020-02-15). "On the landscape of fear: shelters affect foraging by dunnarts (Marsupialia, Sminthopsis spp.) in a sandridge desert environment". Journal of Mammalogy. 101 (1): 281–290. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyz195. ISSN   0022-2372.
  41. "Pila Nguru Aboriginal Corporation". pilanguru. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  42. Giles, E., E. (1889). Australia Twice Traversed. London, UK: Searle and Rivington.
  43. Burbidge, A. A.; Johnson, K. A.; Fuller, P. J.; Southgate, R. I. (1988). "Aboriginal knowledge of the mammals of the central deserts of Australia". Wildlife Research. 15 (1): 9. doi:10.1071/wr9880009. ISSN   1035-3712.
  44. Bliege Bird, R.; Bird, D. W.; Codding, B. F.; Parker, C. H.; Jones, J. H. (2008-09-30). "The "fire stick farming" hypothesis: Australian Aboriginal foraging strategies, biodiversity, and anthropogenic fire mosaics". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (39): 14796–14801. Bibcode:2008PNAS..10514796B. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804757105 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   2567447 . PMID   18809925.
  45. Baker, Andrew; Dickman, Chris (2018). Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials. CSIRO Publishing. doi:10.1071/9781486305155. ISBN   978-1-4863-0515-5.
  46. McElwee, Pamela; Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro; Aumeeruddy-Thomas, Yildiz; Babai, Dániel; Bates, Peter; Galvin, Kathleen; Guèze, Maximilien; Liu, Jianguo; Molnár, Zsolt; Ngo, Hien T.; Reyes-García, Victoria; Roy Chowdhury, Rinku; Samakov, Aibek; Shrestha, Uttam Babu; Díaz, Sandra (September 2020). Wheeler, Helen (ed.). "Working with Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in large-scale ecological assessments: Reviewing the experience of the IPBES Global Assessment". Journal of Applied Ecology. 57 (9): 1666–1676. Bibcode:2020JApEc..57.1666M. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13705. ISSN   0021-8901.
  47. Ruscalleda-Alvarez, Jaume; Cliff, Hannah; Catt, Gareth; Holmes, Jarrad; Burrows, Neil; Paltridge, Rachel; Russell-Smith, Jeremy; Schubert, Andrew; See, Peter; Legge, Sarah (2023-04-01). "Right-way fire in Australia's spinifex deserts: An approach for measuring management success when fire activity varies substantially through space and time". Journal of Environmental Management. 331: 117234. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117234 . ISSN   0301-4797. PMID   36646040.