Native animals
The South Australian Arid Lands region is home to a large number of different native animals (fauna). Of these, some are endangered or under threat animal species.
Why is fauna important?
Native animals are important for many reasons:
- as indicators of healthy ecosystems, waterways and habitats – for example frogs in wetlands
- native animals play important roles in ecosystems such as; keeping some animals from becoming too numerous (predators), managing vegetation growth (herbivores) or providing food, and recycling organic matter (decomposers)
- the variety of native animals and the ecosystems in which they live contribute to the quality of life we have
- each year, thousands of tourists visit the region to see our native plants and animals
- the vast majority of locals enjoy seeing wildlife and value their presence in our landscapes
- we like to know there is wildlife near us, and this knowledge helps us to realise that there is more to our world than what we own and control, and that there are many reasons to conserve and protect the natural world
- some native animals even have economic benefits.
Why manage fauna?
We need to manage native animals because nearly everything we do affects them. We share their landscapes and ecosystems, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the places we live in and the places we visit. The world human population is expanding rapidly, placing great demands on our environment and its resources, including wild animals and their habitats. If we did not manage native animals, we risk more becoming endangered and extinct.
Threats to fauna
- habitat loss is the single biggest threat to native animals both locally and globally
- habitat fragmentation makes it difficult for animals to move from one patch to another
- habitat alteration such as the loss of understorey shrubs, logs, food plants, old trees with hollows
- feral animals which are competitors, predators and poisoners to native animals
- barriers to movement within and between areas of habitat
- hunting of native animals
- road-kill can cause local extinction in some regions and is a constant welfare problem
- disruptive human activities such as unsustainable tourism, recreational activities and industrial practices in important areas of habitat.
Fauna we are working to protect
Name: Ampurta
Scientific name: Dasycercus cristicauda
Regional status: Least concern
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Name: Bronzeback legless lizard
Scientific name: Ophidiocephalus taeniatus
Regional status: Vulnerable
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Name: Cooper Creek catfish
Scientific name: Neosiluroides cooperensis
Regional status: Rare
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Name: Dusky hopping mouse
Scientific name: Notomys fuscus
Regional status: Least concern
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Name: Grey falcon
Scientific name: Falco hypoleucos
Regional status: Endangered
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Name: Grey grasswren
Scientific name: Amytornis barbatus
Regional status: Vulnerable
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Name: Inland taipan
Scientific name: Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Regional status: Least concern
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Name: Kowari
Scientific name: Dasyuroides byrnei
Regional status: Vulnerable
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Name: Malleefowl
Scientific name: Leipoa ocellata
Regional status: Vulnerable
Related links:
- Fact sheet
- Monitoring report December 2022
Name: Plains rat
Scientific name: Pseudomys australis
Regional status: Rare
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Name: Plains wanderer
Scientific name: Pedionomus torquatus
Regional status: Critically endangered
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Name: Southern marsupial mole
Scientific name: Notoryctes typhlops
Regional status: Not listed
Related links:
- Fact sheet
- Survey of southern marsupial moles and ampurta
- Survey of southern marsupial moles and other native fauna in the Western Simpson Desert
- Survey of southern marsupial moles and plains rats in the Western Simpson Desert and Witjira National Park, South Australia, May 2007
- Marsupial mole survey 2008
- Marsupial mole survey 2010
Name: Sandhill dunnart
Scientific name: Sminthopsis psammophila
Regional status: Endangered
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Name: Thick-billed grasswren
Scientific name: Amytornis modestus
Regional status: Vulnerable
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Name: Woma python
Scientific name: Aspidites ramsayi
Regional status: Near threatened
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Name: Woomera slider
Scientific name: lerista elongata
Regional status: Rare
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Name: Yellow footed rock wallaby
Scientific name: Petrogale xanthopus
Regional status: Rare
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Name Short-tailed grasswren
Scientific name: Amytornis merrotsyi merrotsyi
Regional status: Vulnerable
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