The Present Distribution of some Mammals in the 

 Furneaux Group, Bass Strait. Tasmania 



hv J. S. WhinraY' 



Intkoui r tion 



The main purpose ol this note is 

 ■g svi ©til the present distribution of 

 s0! , K - native and introduced mammals 

 n the Furneaux Group. It is ami- 

 pilcJ Itom my observations on 

 wnuus islands during the last six 



( ,v \, well, information supplied 

 by local residents, who include lessees 

 and totMcr lessees of islands, is used. 

 Some museum specimens aie men- 

 tioned I hey are the only lecords of 

 species for certain islands. When 

 early literature reeo.ds are available, 

 H,e past and present distribution ol 

 \ceeies are compared. 



The l-urneau\ Group occupies the 

 vomit eastern pait of Bass Sirait and 

 n made up of about litty islands and 

 islets (see Tig. I). The islands 

 mentioned in this note range from 

 levqfltj hve acres in area (C at Island) 

 ,v .,houi half Q million acres I Flin- 

 t's Island). 



MVHSUI'H.S 



Kcd.ie.ked Wallaby (Walluhia ,u<»- 



In IB2S Scoti recorded this .species 

 K.[ Flindcis, Vansittart, Badger mA 

 riarkcs Islands I Scott, IS28. 1-21- 

 I he fust record I amid obtain Iot 

 Ctyt Barren M.md is from Mr. & 1- 

 Maynaid who began to snare on the 

 island in about 1905. He was catch- 

 bg Red-necked Wallabies then ( F.. I. 

 Mavnard, pers comm.). 



I here ate Red-necked Wallaby 

 ■ mnlaltons on Flinders, Cape Barren. 

 B<ibrl and Badger Islands now I have 

 *i«t> Wnllttbu's on these four island* 

 I hv Babe) Island copulation was 

 UVeodtlCqd ffo n Flinders Island in 



OcloUf. 1971 



about I'm? (H. I. Hammond, pers. 

 anim.). Only Red-bellied Pade 

 irelons wcic present on Badeei Island 

 in 1872 (Btownrigc. 1872.22). 

 Local informants insist that the 

 present Red-necked Wallabv popula- 

 tion was introduced 10 B.idgcr Island 

 by a Former lessee ( R G Morton 

 Jnr.. 'I C, Morton, pers. comm.). 

 There are no Wallabies on Vansittart 

 U.md (George Ross. pers. comm.) 

 and I saw none on Clarke's Island 

 during my visit. 



Red-bellied Pademelons C/'n/m.vWe 

 MWjeri) 



Red-bellied Pademelons were re- 

 corded in 1828 for Fast Sister. West 

 Sister. Flirtdert, babel. Prime Seal, 

 Mas! Kangaroo. Badger. Lung, (ireal. 

 Dug. Vansittart. Preservation and 

 Clarke's Islands I Scott, 1 K28 . 1-2). 

 Robinson recorded them for Cape 

 Barren Island in I KM (Plomlcy, 

 I '/Mr JJAJ Red-bellied Pademelons 

 are now found only on Fast Sister. 

 West Sisier. Flinders, Prime Seal, 

 Cape Barren .<nd Clarke's Islands. 1 

 have seen them on these six islands 

 during the last live years. There were 

 no Pademelons on East Kangaroo 

 Mount Chappell. Badger, 1_ong. Great 

 Dog, Babel or Preservation Islands 

 when I visited them Nor are there 

 any on VansilUin Island (George- 

 Ross, pers. comm.). 



Pototoo (fVMffOUi trhltir!\lit\) 



Clarke's Island — Five specimens 

 ol Clarke's Island Potoroos were 

 purchtUtU) m i'>2) b\ the National 

 Museum of Victoria If. M, Dixon, 

 pers. cunuv.,1, None was caught by 



•1-l.oJcr. Nrnnd ftVMlrfr) 



2?9 



