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Wildlife crosses the great divide
By Environment Reporter REBECCA JENKINS
July 08, 2004

A CARNIVOROUS mammal thought to live only in Western Australia has been discovered on Eyre Peninsula - and scientists say the discovery is a reminder we still have much to learn about the state's wildlife.

The South Australian Museum's mammals curator, Dr Cath Kemper, who identified the grey-bellied dunnart, described the discovery of the species as a "nice surprise".

"It also says just keep our eyes open. You just never can assume," she said. "I think people think we know everything. We don't."

The discovery was made during an Environment and Heritage Department biological survey.

Dr Kemper said it was difficult to identify the species – similar to the little long-tailed dunnart – but the clue was in differences in the animals' teeth.

There have been previous examples of birds and reptiles which had seemingly jumped across the Nullarbor, but Dr Kemper said the dunnart was the first living example of a mammal which had done this.

There has been evidence that some now-extinct animals made a similar journey.

Dr Kemper said that when sea levels rose about 10,000 years ago after the last ice age, the habitat across southern Australia would have been split in two. After the discovery, Dr Kemper turned to colleague Steve Cooper to confirm the genetics of the species.

The experts then realised the discovery tallied with fossils another colleague, Graham Medlin, had found.

"He was really excited," said Dr Kemper.

"He said: `that all makes sense'."

The next step will be to find more examples of the species.

"It's not an uncommon species in southwestern WA," Dr Kemper said.

"Still, it's a great find for conservation in SA."

Dr Kemper said the species had so far been found in conservation parks, but that there could be dunnarts living on private properties. She hoped the discovery of this "new" species would be a further encouragement for landholders to protect habitats.