Geographic Range
Lagostrophus fasciatus
is found only on Dorre Island and Bernier Island in Shark Bay, 50-60 km west of the
Australian mainland. On Dorre Island, the population is concentrated in the north,
while on Bernier Island it is further south. The population on Dorre Island is less
dense than Bernier Island. Historically, members of this species also lived on the
mainland of southwestern Australia. The last recorded individual on the mainland was
seen in 1906. Fossils of
L. fasciatus
have been found on Dirk Hartog Island, south of their current location. Current
attempts are underway to reintroduce this species to the western Australian mainland.
Attempts to re-introduce
L. fasciatus
to Dirk Hartog island failed, possibly as a result of predation by feral
cats
.
- Biogeographic Regions
- australian
- Other Geographic Terms
- island endemic
Habitat
Lagostrophus fasciatus
usually lives in woodlands with thick, dense shrubs, which it uses for shelter during
the day. Many of the shrubs are of the species
Acacia ligulata
. Additionally, banded hare-wallabies form runs under the shrubs. The islands on
which they live are of a Mediterranean climate, warm with moderate rainfall and distinct
wet and dry seasons.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- Terrestrial Biomes
- scrub forest
Physical Description
The head-body length of
Lagostrophus fasciatus
is usually 400-450 mm. Tail length ranges from 350-400 mm, and tail diameter from
13-21 mm. The distance from the knee to the foot on the hind limb ranges from 96-146
mm and the pes length from 94-121 mm. The weight varies from 1.3-3 kg, although most
specimens weigh under 2 kg. The fur is thick, shaggy, long, and gray with a few yellow
and silver splotches.
Lagostrophus fasciatus
is marked by transverse black stripes along the lower back. Ventrally the fur has
a grayish-white color. The face is gray and the flanks have a reddish tint. The
snouts are normally hairless and short. Canines are absent. The sexes are not dimorphic
in color or size. The fifth metatarsal is partially ventral to the fourth and is
cylindrical in shape. The metabolic rate is unknown. Two subspecies exist:
Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus
and
Lagostrophus fasciatus baudinettei
. The latter is more reddish in color with less pronounced stripes and a bigger hair
crest on the head. It may also have a shorter tail.
The skull of this species has interorbital ridges that are almost parallel, a moderately
large zygomatic arch, and a mandibular condyle that is lengthened transversely. On
the upper jaw, the first incisor is larger than the third incisor, which is larger
than the second incisor. The lower incisors line up below the upper incisors instead
of lying behind the upper incisors. The crown of the first upper incisor is not completely
surrounded by enamel. Additionally, the second and third upper premolars are L-shaped.
The lower premolars have a broad anterior cingulum.
Male scrotal width for
Lagostrophus fasciatus
ranges from 13-31 mm.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
The number of partners and size groups formed by Lagostrophus fasciatus in mating are unknown. Methods for finding, attracting, and defending mates are unknown as well.
Breeding females normally conceive one offspring at a time. Breeding is seasonal,
beginning in the summer and peaking in autumn. However, breeding seasons are extended
and may occur from February through August. Drought may change breeding patterns by
delaying breeding. While most females produce only one offspring per year, some produce
two. Breeding can occur as early as the end of a female’s first year and the beginning
of a male’s second year. However, most individuals do not mate until the age of two.
The time of weaning is normally three months. Offspring are independent after nine
to ten months. The gestation period is unknown. A female gives birth and may mate
immediately afterwards. The blastocyst from the second mating then undergoes a period
of quiescence until the nursing young is weaned (embryonic diapause).
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
- embryonic diapause
- post-partum estrous
Female
Lagostrophus fasciatus
keep offspring in their pouch for six months. Normally, the mother carries one young
in the pouch at a time.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-independence
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Lagostrophus fasciatus
can live up to six years.
Behavior
Individuals typically seek shelter in small groups during the day and are nocturnal,
foraging for food at night. Males are aggressive with each other, competing for food.
However, adults of different sexes and adult females with juveniles show no aggressive
behavior toward each other.
- Key Behaviors
- terricolous
- saltatorial
- nocturnal
- motile
- sedentary
- social
Home Range
The home range is unknown.
Communication and Perception
Banded hare wallabies, like other kangaroos and wallabies , use their keen vision and senses of smell, touch, and hearing to perceive their environment. Communication between conspecifics is poorly understood, but it is likely that they use chemical and visual cues.
Food Habits
Banded hare wallabies mainly browse or occasionally graze on foliage and grasses.
Individuals accumulate in areas with high densities of
Acacia ligulata
,
A. coriacea
,
Heterodendrum oleifolium
, and
Diplolaena dampieri
, using them as the main sources of food. They are also sometimes found grazing in
Triodia
grasslands. For hydration, individuals use dew and water from their food.
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- wood, bark, or stems
- flowers
Predation
Wedge-tailed eagles (
Aquila audax
) and other
raptors
are known predators of
Lagostrophus fasciatus
.
Red foxes
probably preyed on this species when it occurred on the Australian mainland. Feral
cats (
Felis silvestris
may also prey on these small wallabies. Slow breeding and spending time in open areas
during the day makes these wallabies especially vulnerable to predation.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
This species is an herbivore that may impact its communities by grazing and browsing.
Competition between banded hare wallabies and similar rufous hare-wallabies (
Lagorchestes hirsutus
) is low due to different habitat preferences and differences in skull and teeth.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Banded hare wallabies currently live on uninhabited islands, so they have little interaction
with humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Banded hare wallabies currently live on uninhabited islands, so they have little interaction
with humans.
Conservation Status
Lagostrophus fasciatus
is considered vulnerable by ANZECC and the IUCN. Human clearing of land for agriculture,
competition with introduced sheep and rabbits, and predation by introduced predators
are likely to have caused extinction on the Australian mainland.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Khalil Chedid (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Australian
-
Living in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and associated islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- island endemic
-
animals that live only on an island or set of islands.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- embryonic diapause
-
At about the time a female gives birth (e.g. in most kangaroo species), she also becomes receptive and mates. Embryos produced at this mating develop only as far as a hollow ball of cells (the blastocyst) and then become quiescent, entering a state of suspended animation or embryonic diapause. The hormonal signal (prolactin) which blocks further development of the blastocyst is produced in response to the sucking stimulus from the young in the pouch. When sucking decreases as the young begins to eat other food and to leave the pouch, or if the young is lost from the pouch, the quiescent blastocyst resumes development, the embryo is born, and the cycle begins again. (Macdonald 1984)
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- saltatorial
-
specialized for leaping or bounding locomotion; jumps or hops.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
References
Flannery, T. 1983. Revision in the macropodid subfamily Sthenurinae ( Marsupialia : Macropodoidea ) and the relationships of the species of Troposodon and Lagostrophus .. Australian Mammalogy , 6: 15-28.
Friend, T., B. Beecham. 2004. Return to Dryandra: Western Shield. Conservation Science Western Australia , 5: 174-193.
Helgen, K., T. Flannery. 2003. Taxonomy and hisorical distribution of the wallaby genus Lagostrophus . Australian Journal of Zoology , 51: 199-212.
Menkhorst, P. 2001. A Filed Guide to the Mammals of Australia . South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Prince, R. 1983. Banded Hare-Wallaby. Pp. 201-202 in The Australian Museum complete book of Australian mammals: the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife . London: Angus and Robertson.
Richards, J., J. Short, R. Prince, J. Friend, J. Courtenay. 2001. The biology of banded ( Lagostrophus fasciatus ) and rufous ( Lagorchestes hirsutus ) hare-wallabies ( Diprotodontia: Macropodidae ) on Dorre and Bernier Islands, Western Australia. Wildlife Research , 28: 311-322.
Short, J., B. Turner. 1992. The distribution and abundance of the banded and rufous hare-wallabies Lagostrophus fasciatus and Lagorchestes hirstus . Biological Conservation , 60: 157-166.
Tyndale-Biscoe, C. 1965. The Female Urogenital System and Reproduction of the Marsupial Lagostrophus fasciatus . Australian Journal of Zoology , 13: 255-267.