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Mammals - Class: Mammalia
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"On seeing the marsupials in Australia for the first time and comparing them to placental mammals:
An unbeliever might exclaim, 'Surely two distinct creators must have been at work'." - Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) |
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The 'Northern Rivers' may be home to nearly one hundred species of mammals, with a further thirty or so Cetaceans (Whales and Dolphins) making an occasional appearance. Unfortunately many of our regulars are fully or mostly nocturnal making it hard to meet any during the day-time. Secondly, they tend to be shy and elusive. And finally, populations of most are in decline primarily as a direct result of displacement by human encroachment on their habitats, whether it be by farming practices, urban expansion or deforestation. Nonetheless, chance encounters do occur and on these pages are the results of these happenings.
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It is no small disaster that among our wildlife also roam quite a few feral animals including, cats, foxes, pigs, rabbits and others. These feral animals do considerable damage to the native environment and of course, the carnivores in this group continue to have a devastating impact on small native animal numbers. The introduction of the Cane Toad in 1935 has also been proven to have a negative impact on the survival of our medium-sized predators.
The Northern Rivers Project supports local efforts to rectify these issues and it is hoped that by helping to raise awareness we may assist in our native wildlife's plight. |
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Worldwide some 6,500 species of mammals have been described of which about 60% is made up of Rats and Bats. Recent extinctions accounts for about 80 species of which 28 (more than a third of all extinctions) have disappeared from the Australian mainland and Tasmania in the last 150 years or so with an even larger number being 'vulnerable', 'threatened', 'endangered' or 'critically endangered'.
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In Australia about 312 terrestrial mammals have been recorded as well as 45 marine mammals and there are also 22 introduced species. More than 85% of the Australian terrestrial mammals are unique to the country. And yet, whereas most people would recognize Australian icon species such as the Koala, Platypus, Echidna, Wombat and Red Kangaroo; animals with names such as Phascogale, Bettong, Mulchara, Antechinus, Kultarr and Planigale for example, are totally unknown to many.
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This is by no means an indictment on ourselves. The Australian mammalian fauna is predominantly nocturnal, elusive and relatively small in stature with most species weighing in at less than two kilos. It is however important to note that our general lack of knowledge of our mammals is a major contributor to the possible extinction of many more species. Here in the Northern Rivers the Koala receives most of the attention but that does not mean that any of the lesser known species should be overlooked.
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As you can see above, the subclasses of Prototheria and Theria have been retained on this site even though this particular division of the Class: Mammalia does not really make a lot of sense. A division into: egg-laying mammals, marsupials and placental mammals does appear more logical and simple. However, the website iNaturalist still perseveres with the Prototheria/Theria division even though the arguments for doing so appear to be largely based on contingencies that may or may not happen in the future. (To clarify; the Prototherians contain the Platypus and Echidna. The Therians are all other mammals.)
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References and links:
Van Dyck, Steve, Gynther, Ian. and Baker, Andrew. (2013) Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia, New Holland Publishers, Chatswood, N.S.W.
Woinarski, J., Burbridge , A., Harrison, P. (2014) The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Vic.
https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/australia/Into-Oblivion.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_Australia
Van Dyck, Steve, Gynther, Ian. and Baker, Andrew. (2013) Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia, New Holland Publishers, Chatswood, N.S.W.
Woinarski, J., Burbridge , A., Harrison, P. (2014) The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Vic.
https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/australia/Into-Oblivion.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_Australia
Text:
Erik Beringen.
Erik Beringen.