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41-454: Pseudochirus occidentalis Thomas, 1888 The western ringtail possum or ngwayir ( Pseudocheirus occidentalis ) is a species of possum found in a small area of Southwest Australia . They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and a long prehensile tail with a whitish tip. Ngwayir forage at night through the upper canopy of trees, feeding on young leaves, flowers and fruit, especially in groves of

82-452: A relatively small home range of 0.5-6 ha, dependent on habitat type. It uses tree hollows and builds dreys for shelter in tree canopies, their nest-like drey is an assemblage of shredded bark, twigs and leaves. They are primarily arboreal, but will move through understorey or open ground to feed or gain shelter when the tree canopy is unconnected. Sheltering at ground level is recorded, though not usual, more frequently be found at hollows and

123-404: A variety of native and introduced plants. Urban populations surveyed in the city of Albany have revealed an average individual range of 0.88 hectares, moving from their dreys in the day to their preferred night-time habitat in eucalypts . The study demonstrated that populations varied in their use of habitat and the size of the range was dependent on qualities such as the extent and connections of

164-885: Is an important pollinator for several southwestern plants including Banksia attenuata , Banksia coccinea , and Adenanthos cuneatus . Other mammals endemic to Southwest Australia are the western brush wallaby ( Macropus irma ) and the quokka ( Setonix brachyurus ). Southwest Australia is an Endemic Bird Area , with several endemic species of birds including the long-billed black cockatoo ( Zanda baudinii ), western corella ( Cacatua pastinator ), noisy scrubbird ( Atrichornis clamosus ), red-winged fairywren ( Malurus elegans ), western bristlebird ( Dasyornis longirostris ), black-throated whipbird ( Psophodes nigrogularis ), white-breasted robin ( Eopsaltria georgianus ), and red-eared firetail ( Stagonopleura oculata ). The western rufous bristlebird ( Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis ), an endemic subspecies of rufous bristlebird ,

205-588: Is now extinct. The World Wide Fund for Nature and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) divide the region into six ecoregions and ten biogeographic regions: The transitional Coolgardie, Hampton, and Yalgoo bioregions are generally drier than the rest of the Southwest. They considered part of Southwest Australia by the WWF, but are considered part of the Central Australian or Eremaean Region by

246-572: The Arnhem Land plateau, New Guinea , the Moluccas and New Caledonia . These genera are recognised as having evolved from ancient lineages of the family Myrtaceae. According to genetic, fossil and morphological evidence, it is hypothesised that they evolved into separate taxa before the evolution of the more widespread and well-known genera Eucalyptus , Corymbia and Angophora , and all of their many species. Eucalyptus deglupta has naturally spread

287-505: The International Union for Conservation of Nature , and classified as critically endangered , with an estimated population of around 3,400 individuals. However since then, surveys of over 40 public reserves across the south-west have found more than 20,000 western ringtail possums. In addition, western ringtails are known to reside in many cities, towns, and rural areas including Albany , Busselton , and Dunsborough . Residents across

328-542: The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region covers 356,717 km , consisting of a broad coastal plain 20–120 kilometres wide, transitioning to gently undulating uplands made up of weathered granite , gneiss and laterite . Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Range is the highest peak in the region, at 1,099 metres (3,606 ft) elevation. Desert and xeric shrublands lie to

369-592: The Noongar language were collated in an ethnographic survey of historical interviews, and included two names noted by John Gilbert and others at the Swan River Colony , King George Sound and elsewhere; the local names for this species are regionally distinct rather than dialectical variants. The common name assigned by Oldfield Thomas in his description of P. occidentalis was western ring-tailed phalanger. Western ringtails are largely-arboreal marsupials smaller than

410-617: The Western Australian Herbarium . Southwest Australia has several permanent rivers and streams, including the Swan – Avon system, the Blackwood River , and other short rivers. The perennial rivers drain from the interior plateau and Darling Range across the coastal plain. Their flow is strongly seasonal, corresponding to the Southwest's wet winter–dry summer weather pattern. The perennial streams extend from east of Esperance on

451-457: The chaparral , matorral , maquis , and fynbos shrublands found in other Mediterranean-type regions. The region has generally nutrient-poor sandy or lateritic soils, which has encouraged rich speciation of plants adapted to specific ecological niches. The region hosts a great diversity of endemic species, notably among the protea family ( Proteaceae ). Southwest Australia is home to many endemic carnivorous plants , including more than half

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492-417: The 1960s. The summer of 2021/22 was the hottest on record. Southwest Australia is recognised as a floristic province . Vegetation in the region is mainly woody, including forests , woodlands , shrublands , and heathlands , but no grasslands . Predominant vegetation types are Eucalyptus woodlands, eucalyptus-dominated mallee shrublands, and kwongan shrublands and heathlands, which correspond to

533-745: The South Coast between Walpole and Cheynes Beach . In the Swan Coastal Plain and South Coast, the species favours habitat dominated by Peppermint , as well as Tuart , Marri , Jarrah , Karri , Bullich , Albany Blackbutt , Allocasuarina , Banksia , Kunzea , Nuytsia , and Xylomelum . In the Southern Forests, peppermint is generally absent and the western ringtails live in Jarrah-dominated eucalypt forests. Western ringtails also frequent many urban and peri-urban gardens, where they feed on

574-404: The South Coast between Walpole and Cheynes Beach . Within these zones, the threats to western ringtails are complex, interactive and often population-specific. These threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, introduced predators (particularly the red fox ), climate change, timber harvesting, and inappropriate fire regimes. In 2017, the conservation status of the species was re-assessed by

615-500: The canopy cover in its favoured tree species. Since colonial settlement it has undergone a substantial range contraction, up to 90 per cent of the predicted original range. Archaeological records and known locations estimate a historical range that extended southwest from Geraldton to the Hampton Tableland , 200 km west of the border of South Australia . The western ringtail is an arboreal and nocturnal herbivore with

656-402: The diadromous common galaxias ( Galaxias maculatus ) and spotted galaxias ( Galaxias truttaceus ) have adapted so they can live their life-cycle and reproduce in fresh water. The southwestern snake-necked turtle ( Chelodina colliei ) and western swamp turtle ( Pseudemydura umbrina ) are aquatic species endemic to Southwest Australia. The first evidence of human habitation of the region

697-490: The ears and a creamy white, sometimes greyish, colour at the underside of the body that extends to the chest and throat. It differs from the common ringtail possum found on the east of the continent, by lacking any rufous colouration in the fur. The western ringtail is endemic to south-western Western Australia where it is now found in three main areas; the Swan Coastal Plain , Southern Forests around Manjimup , and

738-507: The effects of human induced climate change . Average annual rainfall has declined as much as 20% since the 1970s, declining by 10–20 millimetres each decade. Summertime maximum temperatures have increased by 0.1º to 0.3º C per decade, and the average number of days per year over 40º C in Perth has doubled over the last century. Lower rainfall and higher temperatures have reduced stream flow and inflow into drinking water and irrigation catchments since

779-560: The furthest from the Australian geographic origin of the genus Eucalyptus , being the only species known growing naturally in the nearby northern hemisphere, from New Guinea to New Britain , Sulawesi , Seram Island to Mindanao , Philippines . Eucalyptus urophylla also grows naturally as far west as the Flores and Timor islands. Eucalypts from fire-prone habitats are attuned to withstand fire in several ways: Epicormic buds under

820-456: The hibernation of reptiles and the moulting of swans are all helpful indicators that the seasons are changing. The first permanent European settlement in the region was in 1826 near present-day Albany . European settlers mostly dispossessed the Aboriginal inhabitants, and established extensive agriculture, including wheat, barley, canola, lupins, and oats. They also introduced sheep and cattle to

861-468: The impact of urbanisation on western ringtails, a rope bridge trial was conducted near Busselton . Western ringtails were recorded investigating the bridge while it was still under construction, and the first crossing was recorded one month after construction was completed. During the study period, western ringtails were recorded crossing up to nine crossings per night, although less frequently when weather or moonlight inhibited their movements, and its use

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902-533: The intensity of recent fire. Young leaves are preferred, avoiding the lignin content of mature plant matter. The species is coprophagic , re-consuming faecal matter digested during the day to increase the nutrients derived from their food. Births occur mainly in winter to spring, where usually one young is raised to maturity, although twins may be present in the pouch. Juveniles emerge from the pouch at about three months of age, when they weigh about 125 g, and suckle until they are 6–7 months old, weighing about 550 g. In

943-498: The land and vegetation. Evidence from lake and estuarine sediments and firsthand accounts suggest that fire intervals in well-settled areas were frequent – from one to ten years – compared to unoccupied forests and offshore islands, where fire intervals were 30 to 100 or more years. Frequent burning reduced tree cover and encouraged the growth of grasses, herbs, and low shrubs, fostering open woodlands and savannas and limiting areas of dense forest and thicket. Noongar peoples inhabited

984-506: The new genus Corymbia . Although separate, all of these genera and their species are allied and it remains the standard to refer to the members of all seven genera Angophora , Corymbia , Eucalyptus , Stockwellia , Allosyncarpia , Eucalyptopsis and Arillastrum as "eucalypts" or as the eucalypt group. The extant genera Stockwellia , Allosyncarpia , Eucalyptopsis and Arillastrum comprise six known species, restricted to monsoon forests and rainforests in north-eastern Australia,

1025-554: The north and east across the centre of Australia, separating Southwest Australia from the other Mediterranean and humid-climate regions of the continent. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate , one of five such regions in the world. During the winter months, westerly winds bring cool weather, clouds, and rainfall to Southwest Australia. In the summer months, the lower-latitude anticyclonic belt, with generally dry easterly winds, moves southwards, increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall. Tropical cyclones , off

1066-443: The often thick bark of the trunk and branches are ready to sprout new stems and leaves after a fire. These advantages work well in areas affected by long dry spells. Over 700 eucalypt species dominate landscapes all over Australia, but diversity is reduced in rainforests and arid environments. A fungal plant pathogens (from the family Sporocadaceae ), Allelochaeta brevilata (H.J. Swart & D.A. Griffiths) Crous

1107-477: The population to the ringtail P. peregrinus which is common in Eastern Australia . The original description of the western population was as a separate species, Pseudocheirus occidentalis , although it is also noted as a subspecies or member of a Pseudocheirus peregrinus species complex. Common names include the western ringtail possum, ngwayir, womp, woder, ngoor and ngoolangit. The names derived from

1148-477: The region. European settlement also changed the fire regime established by the Aboriginal inhabitants of the land. 109,445 km , or 22.13%, of Southwest Australia's land area is in protected areas. Eucalypt For an example of changing historical perspectives, in 1991, largely genetic evidence indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to other eucalypts; they were accordingly split off into

1189-666: The sea. The exclusively freshwater species are endemic to Southwest Australia, as are two estuarine species. The salamanderfish ( Lepidogalaxias salamandroides ) is the sole species in the endemic family Lepidogalaxiidae. Salamanderfish can aestivate during the summer months, an adaptation to the region's dry summers. Other endemic species are the nightfish ( Bostockia porosa ), western mud minnow ( Galaxiella munda ), black-stripe minnow ( Galaxiella nigrostriata ), Balston’s pygmy perch ( Nannatherina balstoni ), western pygmy perch ( Nannoperca vittata ), and western galaxias ( Galaxias occidentalis ). Southwest Australian varieties of

1230-610: The shore of northern Western Australia during the December-to-March northern wet season, occasionally reach as far south as Perth before moving inland, bringing floods and damaging winds to the west coast and rain to the dry interior. Rainfall generally decreases from south to north, and with distance from the coast. The highest rainfall is typically in the Karri Forest Region between Pemberton and Walpole, up to 1,400 mm (55 inches) annually. The region has been experiencing

1271-407: The size of a domestic cat, with stocky bodies, grasping feet and a strong, prehensile tail. The profile of the black back and rump slopes toward a prehensile tail that tapers to a fine white point. The species has a head and body length of 320–400 mm, a tail length of 300–400 mm, and a weight of 750 to 1350 g. Pseudocheirus occidentalis has dark grey-brown-black fur with light patches behind

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1312-682: The south coast to the Arrowsmith River north of Perth , most often in areas with 700 mm or more of annual rainfall. Arid regions separate Southwest Australia's freshwater habitats from Australia's other year-round rivers. As with its terrestrial flora, Southwest Australia's Mediterranean climate and biogeographic isolation has given rise to a distinct freshwater ecoregion with many endemic species. There are fifteen freshwater fish species, including nine exclusively freshwater species, three estuarine species adapted to brackish water, and three diadromous species that spend part of their life-cycle in

1353-667: The south-west are being encouraged to make their properties possum-friendly to contribute to their conservation. Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia . It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Australia Global Diversity Hotspot . The region includes

1394-417: The upper story of a forest; the species has occasionally be seen to occupy rabbit burrows. Western ringtails are folivorous ; their diet includes leaves, shoots, fruit and flowers of a range of plants, both native and introduced. Favoured food trees include Jarrah , Marri , and Peppermint . The quality of food sources vary across time and space, and in particular are related to the availability of water and

1435-524: The urbanised areas near Busselton and Albany . A description of the species was published in 1888 by Oldfield Thomas in a systematic review of specimens held at the British Museum of Natural History . The animal was first described as Pseudochirus occidentalis by Thomas, repeating an incorrect spelling of the genus, and currently recognised as Pseudocheirus occidentalis . The classification as subspecies Pseudocheirus peregrinus occidentalis allies

1476-472: The weeping peppermint Agonis flexuosa . Breeding occurs mainly during the winter, the single juvenile emerging from the pouch after about three months. The population has declined by more than 95% since British settlement, due to clearing of habitat, fire and the introduction of the red fox Vulpes vulpes , and is classified as Critically Endangered . The population in most areas has catastrophically declined or become locally extinct, but strongholds remain in

1517-409: The western and southern portions of the region. The Noongar comprised 14 groups, which spoke distinct but mutually-intelligible languages. The Nyoongar seasonal calendar includes six different seasons in a yearly cycle. These are Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang. Each of the six seasons represents and explains the seasonal changes seen annually. The flowering of many different plants,

1558-406: The wild, western ringtail life spans has been recorded as up to four years in a jarrah forest, and six years on the Swan Coastal Plain, while in captivity, a female under care in a rehabilitation facility lived for nine years. The species will attempt to cross roadways within their foraging range, which leads to a high degree of fatalities as road kill . As a localised conservation measure to reduce

1599-490: The world's species of sundews ( Drosera ), the bladderwort subgenus Polypompholyx , the Byblis gigantea complex of rainbow plants (composed of two species, Byblis lamellata and B. gigantea ), and the pitcher plant Cephalotus follicularis , sole species in the plant family Cephalotaceae. The honey possum ( Tarsipes rostratus ) is a tiny marsupial endemic to Southwest Australia that feeds on nectar and pollen, and

1640-453: Was 50,000 years ago at Devil's Lair by ancestors of today's Aboriginal people. Aboriginal populations were generally denser on the coastal plain and along the coastal forest edge, and in the interior woodlands and shrublands, particularly near permanent streams and river estuaries. Population was sparse in the forested areas of the south. Offshore islands were likely uninhabited. The Aboriginal inhabitants deliberately set fires to manage

1681-412: Was adopted by juveniles who had been carried across by their mother. The success of the rope bridge was greater than anticipated when compared to rope bridge adoption by possums and gliders in similar programs. Three "key management zones" have been identified as known to support significant numbers of western ringtail possums. These include the Swan Coastal Plain , Southern Forests around Manjimup , and

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