South Sister St. Marys, Tasmania
South Sister - the mammals
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An orphan baby wombat being raised by hand. |
There are many animals whose habitat is the forests of the South Sister. Some of these are endangered and include the Spotted tailed quoll and eastern barred bandicoot. Others include Rufus and Bennetts wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, pygmy possums, ring and brush tail possums, echidnas and wombats. Tasmanian devils were frequently found in the area however numbers have declined in recent years. A few can still be heard at times and traces of them are visible. Platypus are also found in the area but none have been spotted on South Sister yet.
The Spotted Tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus maculatus, listed as a rare species in Tasmania, breeds and forages in wet forest. Eastern barred bandicoots Perameles gunnii gunnii, listed as vulnerable by the Commonwealth, prefer open grassy areas for foraging but require thick ground cover for nesting and shelter. They thrive in areas of high rainfall, deep soiled agricultural land which is bordered by native bush. They have been identified immediately south of the South Sister coupe in the past. Tasmanian Devils were once in abundance in this area however due to the recent onset of the facial tumour that has afflicted this species, numbers have declined drastically.