The Bandicoot Superhighway team needs your help in the search for the southern brown bandicoot on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Image: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
They are currently undertaking surveys to help determine where southern brown bandicoots still occur and they're asking the community to let us know where they have seen one in the last five years.
Southern brown bandicoots are the only species of bandicoot left in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula, and are nationally listed as Endangered under the federal government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The project team, have noted a number of recent sightings in parts of the Adelaide Hills, and are particularly interested in sightings from the Fleurieu, where they have been less commonly recorded.
Knowing where they are currently persisting will help with future assessments of their conservation status and help identify and manage threats to those populations.
There are historical records of bandicoots from as far south as Deep Creek National Park on the Fleurieu Peninsula, to Para Wirra Conservation Park north of Adelaide.
They can be found in remnant native bush areas and more urban and peri-urban areas, utilising both dense native vegetation and non-native vegetation (such as blackberry) as habitat.
Ok, you've seen one! Yay. Now - how do you report your sightings?
So, if you have seen a bandicoot in the last five years please submit your sighting details to the online Bandicoot Superhighway sightings portal via the link below.
You don't need a login, and if you have one, please include a photo as this helps with confirmation of identification.
And keep your eyes peeled, because we also want to know if you see a bandicoot over the coming months too, as this will help plan upcoming wildlife camera surveys.
Visit the Bandicoot Superhighway project webpage below for more information and link to the sightings portal!