Lasiorhinus krefftii (Owen, 1873)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Vombatidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 418-434 : 434

3.

Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Lasiorhinus krefftii

French: Wombat du Queensland / German: Nordlicher Haarnasenwombat / Spanish: U6 mbat de hocico peludo septentrional

Other common names: Krefft's Hairy-nosed Wombat, Moonie River Wombat, Queensland Hairy-nosed Wombat

Taxonomy. Phascolomys krefftii Owen, 1873 ,

Breccia Cavern, Wellington Caves, New South Wales, Australia.

Described by R. Owen from a fossil skull recovered from Wellington Caves, New South Wales, in 1869. Additional fossil remains were found in Queensland, southwestern New South Wales, and Victoria. Although genetically distinct, L. krefftii exhibits few osteological differences from L. latifrons and possibly represent the end of a fragmented geographical cline. Two subspecies, barnardi named by H. A. Longman in 1939 and the historically extinct gillespie: named by C. W. De Vis in 1900, have been described, but these are now considered synonyms of krefftii . Monotypic.

Distribution. NE Australia, a small population persists at Epping Forest National Park near Clermont in C Queensland.

Descriptive notes. Mean head-body 107-9 cm (males) and 108-1 cm (females); mean weight 31 kg (males) and 31-9 kg (females). The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat is not sexually dimorphic. It is robust and stocky, with short powerful limbs, broad head, and soft silky fur. The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat differs from the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat ( L. latifrons ) in having longer ears, a very square rhinarium, and nasal bones longer than frontal bones; in all other features, the two species of hairy-nosed wombats are similar.

Habitat. Historically confined to sandy areas deposited by river systems that cut through heavy black-soil plains of central Queensland. The area is characterized as open eucalypt woodland and patches of closed shrub, with a groundcover of native grasses. Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats construct burrows on sides of gullies beneath spreading roots of trees such as bauhinia ( Lysiphyllum hookeri , Fabaceae ).

Food and Feeding. White spear grass ( Aristida leptopoda ), bottle-washer grasses ( Enneapogon spp.), and golden beardgrass ( Chrysopogon fallax , all Poaceae ) are dominant native grasses in feeding areas of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats and comprise at least 40% oftheir diets. These native pastures remain under threat by invading weedy species such as buffelgrass ( Cenchrus ciliaris , Poaceae ), which now forms at least 14% of dietary intake of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats. Feeding home ranges show little overlap between members of the same sex, but females’ home ranges overlap with those of males. Winter (dry season) feeding areas are larger than summer (wet season) feeding areas due to lower availability of food. Male and female Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats use areas of about the same size.

Breeding. Details on mating, gestation, pouch life, and growth rates of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats are generally based on knowledge of the biology of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Female Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats give birth to single young in summer (November—April) during the wet season when plant growth is at its maximum. Sex ratio of young of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombatis 1:1.

Activity patterns. Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats are inactive ¢.75% of the day. They are strictly nocturnal. Extent of aboveground activity is related to pasture quality, rainfall, and ambient temperature and varies seasonally: c¢.2 hours/night in summer but up to 6 hours/night in winter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Core home range size of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat averages 6-2 ha in winter and 2-6 ha in summer. The burrow is the center of all activity. Burrows are grouped into warrens. Up to ten Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats, with an equal number of males and females, may occupy a group of burrows. Burrow sharing is more prevalent among females, and males tend to be solitary. Post-breeding, female Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats appear to disperse rather than males.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. At the time of European colonization in the 18" and 19" centuries, the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat occurred in the St. George—Moonie River region of south-eastern Queensland and at Deniliquin in south-central New South Wales, and living populations were once reported near Jerilderie in New South Wales in 1844 and at two sites near St. George in south-eastern Queensland in the 1890s;all had vanished from these areas by 1908. Today, only a small population of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat survives in 660 ha of the 2750ha Epping Forest National Park in western Queensland. Careful management there has seen a fourfold increase from 30-40 individuals in the 1980s to ¢.163 individuals in 2010. Nevertheless, the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat faces many conservation challenges. The population has low genetic diversity, it is skewed toward males,it is vulnerable to attack by Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and feral dogs, and native grasses on which it depends are subject to fire and vicissitudes of climate. Conservation efforts have included construction of predator-proof fencing, supplementary feeding in drought years, and successful translocation of individuals within protected areas. Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats, with careful management, have been bred in captivity, which raises the possibility of captive breeding of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats and their eventual reintroduction into suitable habitat.

Bibliography. Banks, Horsup et al. (2003), Banks, Hoyle et al. (2003), Crossman (1988), Crossman et al. (1994), De Vis (1900), Gordon et al. (1985), Horsup (1998, 2004, 2011), Horsup & Johnson (2008), Hoyle, Alpers & Sherwin (1998), Hoyle, Horsup et al. (1995), Johnson, C.N. (1991a, 1991b, 1998), Johnson, C.N. & Crossman (1991), Longman (1939), Sloane et al. (2000), Taggart, Martin & Horsup (2008), Taylor, Alpers & Sherwin (1998), Taylor, Horsup et al. (1997), Taylor, Sherwin & Wayne (1994), Treby (2005), Treby et al. (2007), Woolnough (1998), Woolnough & Johnson (2000).

Figures

1. Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus), 2. Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), 3. Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii)

Distribution. NE Australia, a small population persists at Epping Forest National Park near Clermont in C Queensland.