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.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
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.
Range mass: 1.3 to 3 kg.
Range length: 350 to 400 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Lagostrophus fasciatus can live up to six years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 6 (high) years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 5 to 6 years.
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
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 (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: island endemic
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.
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
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.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered
Banded hare wallabies currently live on uninhabited islands, so they have little interaction with humans.
Banded hare wallabies currently live on uninhabited islands, so they have little interaction with humans.
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.
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
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
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).
Breeding interval: Lagostophus fasciatus usually breeds once a year.
Breeding season: Breeding peaks in the fall.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average weaning age: 3 months.
Range time to independence: 9 to 10 months.
Average time to independence: 9 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 (low) years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 (low) years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; embryonic diapause ; post-partum estrous
Average number of offspring: 1.
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); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (Lagostrophus fasciatus) is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced mainland sites, including Faure Island[4] and Wadderin Sanctuary near Narembeen in the central wheatbelt.
The description of the species was published in the 1807 report of a French expedition to Australia. The authors, zoologist François Péron and illustrator Charles Lesueur, described a specimen collected at Bernier Island during their visit to the region in 1801, naming the new species as Kangurus faciatus.[5]
Evidence suggested that the mernine was the only living member of the sthenurine subfamily,[6] and a recent osteology-based phylogeny of macropodids found that the banded hare-wallaby was indeed a bastion of an ancient lineage, agreeing with other (molecular) appraisals of the evolutionary history of L. fasciatus.[7] However, the authors' analysis did not support the placement of the mernine within Sthenurinae, but suggest it belongs to a plesiomorphic clade which branched off from other macropodids in the early Miocene and founded the new subfamily Lagostrophinae.[7] Recent analysis of mtDNA extracted from fossils of the sthenurine Simosthenurus supports this conclusion.[8] This new subfamily includes the banded hare-wallaby and the fossil genus Troposodon.[7]
The average banded hare-wallaby weighs 1.7 kg, females weigh more than the males. It measures about 800 mm from the head to the end of the tail, with the tail almost the same length (averaging 375 mm) as the body. It has a short nose; its long, grey fur is speckled with yellow and silver and fades into a light grey on the underbelly. No colour variation is seen on the face or head, and its colouring is solid grey. Dark, horizontal stripes of fur start at the middle of the back and stop at the base of the tail.
The banded hare-wallaby is nocturnal and tends to live in groups at nesting sites; this species is quite social. Nesting occurs in thickets under very dense brush. This macropod prefers to live in Acacia ligulata scrub. Males are extremely aggressive.
The species was once found on the mainland, in the southwest of Western Australia and South Australia, but its only surviving natural populations are now restricted to Bernier Island and Dorre Island off Western Australia.[9] The species has been successfully reintroduced to Faure Island[4] and Dirk Hartog Island[10] in Shark Bay, and to a large fenced reserve at Mount Gibson Sanctuary[11] in Western Australia.
Although the banded hare-wallaby was once found across the south-western portion of Australia, it is believed to have been extinct on the mainland since 1963, and the last recorded evidence of the banded hare-wallaby on the Australian mainland was in 1906. The devastation of the species possibly can be attributed to the loss of habitat to the clearing of vegetation, the loss of food (due to competition with other animals), and predators.
Two subspecies are recognized:[9] L. f. fasciatus and L. f. baudinettei.
This diprotodontian is a vegetarian and receives most of its water from food. It prefers to eat various grasses, fruit, and other vegetation. Male aggression is usually brought out in competition for food with other males and is very rarely expressed toward females.
Mating season starts in December and ends in September. The banded hare-wallaby reaches maturity at one year of age, breeding usually starts in the second year. Gestation appears to last several months and mothers generally raise one young each year, although females may produce two young per year. Young remain in their mother's pouch for six months and continue to be weaned for another three months. In situations where a mother's young dies, some mothers have an extra embryo to possibly rear another.
The banded hare-wallaby, mernine, or munning (Lagostrophus fasciatus) is a marsupial currently found on the islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. Reintroduced populations have recently been established on islands and fenced mainland sites, including Faure Island and Wadderin Sanctuary near Narembeen in the central wheatbelt.
