44 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



FIGS.: Waterhouse, 1838a, pi. 27, and 1841, pi. 11; Gould, 1845, vol. 1, pi. 4; 

 Lydekker, 1894, pi. 30; Royal Nat. Hist., vol. 3, p. 275, lower fig., 1894-95; 

 Cabrera, 1919, pi. 7; Le Souef and Burrell, 1926, fig. 96. 



This beautiful little animal, representing a special family related 

 to the dasyures, has been undergoing shrinkage of range and reduc- 

 tion in numbers in Western Australia for a considerable period and 

 is perhaps approaching extinction. 



Color above reddish ochre, interspersed with white hairs ; posterior 

 half of body with alternate black and white bands; tail long-haired, 

 mixed with black, white, and reddish ochre; legs chiefly pale buff; 

 under parts yellowish white (Waterhouse, 1836, pp. 69-70). Form 

 graceful, squirrellike ; a black stripe through the eye, and a white 

 stripe above it. Head and body, 220-240 mm.; tail, 160-175 mm. 

 (Thomas, 1888, pp. 311-314.) 



In earlier days its range extended west to the Darling Range, 

 northwest to the vicinity of Moore's River, northeast to Laverton, 

 east to Kalgoorlie and possibly to South Australia near the coast, 

 and south to the vicinity of Albany (Shortridge, 1910, p. 846, map; 

 Glauert, 1933, p. 22). Forty years ago it was "fairly numerous 

 throughout the South-west, especially where the prevailing timbers 

 are the white gum (Eucalyptus redunca) and the jam (Acacia 

 acuminata) , getting less plentiful outside that area" (Shortridge, 

 in Thomas, 1907, p. 772) . "The Western Australian animal is now 

 excessively rare, and it is probable that before many years are 

 passed it will follow its South Australian neighbour [M. f. rujus] 

 into extinction" (Jones, 1923, p. 126). Troughton writes (1923, 

 p. 155) that "this animal . . . can now only be found in a greatly 

 restricted area"; he secured three specimens about 1921. It seems 

 to survive chiefly in the southwestern corner of the state, between 

 Perth and Albany. 



"The beautiful little Banded ant-eater is much sought after on 

 account of its skin" (W. H. D. Le Souef, 1907, p. 406) . 



Le Souef and Burrell (1926, pp. 365-366) write: 



Quiet, inoffensive, without means of defence or offence, it is remarkable 

 that the marsupial ant-eater has survived through the ages. This could 

 happen only in Australia, where it did not come into competition with the 

 more advanced forms of life. . . . 



It is abroad both by day and by night, and, being conspicuous and not at 

 all speedy, it makes a fairly easy mark for predacious animals and birds, 

 more especially the introduced cat and fox; to say nothing of the settlers' 

 dogs. Consequently, it is one of the first animals to disappear before the 

 inevitable opening up of the country, and it is now scarce over the greater 

 part of its range. 



"The typical race ... is endangered by clearing, fires, and intro- 

 duced pests, the advent of the fox alone probably spelling the ulti- 



