A DUNNART has been spotted on a property at Yandanooka.
The dunnart, which is believed to be a fat-tailed dunnart, was found under a piece of tin in a paddock which was being seeded.
The Western Australian government's State Natural Resource Management program has provided funding to revegetate a drainage line on the property to provide habitat for the local dunnart population.
There are only two official recordings of dunnarts in the Yandanooka area, but the local property owner recalls spotting the dunnarts at night running across the paddock many years ago.
In recent years these sightings have become rare.
The owner managed to snap a photo of the elusive dunnart, proving that the animals still exist in this area, most likely in low numbers.
Originally the project was going to use motion cameras in the vegetated areas to identify the presence of dunnarts, but due to the location of this find, the project will now aim to place motion cameras on rock piles and rocky outcrops in open areas around Yandanooka, with the belief that dunnarts are utilising these for cover when foraging in crops and pastures.
As dunnarts feed only on insects, open grasslands such as crops, pastures are ideal hunting grounds.
Having a better understanding of these marsupials will help landholders create suitable habitat to ensure the survival of this species in the region.
