What's Happening in Cannington, WA…

Researchers from the Western Australian Museum, which has its Collections and Research Centre in Welshpool, have combined with their peers at London’s Natural History Museum to uncover a new species of bandicoot.

Very small and extremely fast, the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot is extinct and according to WA Museum’s Curator of Mammalogy Dr Kenny Travouillon, information about the mammal is very scarce.

He described the discovery, which is expected to be included on future educational brochure printing related to bandicoots as a ‘breakthrough for science’, saying:

“Pig-footed Bandicoots were extinct by the 1950s, therefore there was very little chance for scientists to study the species. More so, there are only 29 specimens of Pig-footed Bandicoots in existence. In comparison, there are more than 800 specimens of the extinct Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, in museum collections.”

Research relating to the 29 Pig-footed Bandicoot specimens held in museums across the world was responsible for the find, according to Dr Travouillon. Aboriginal spoken accounts and fossil records also assisted researchers.

The Natural History Museum’s Senior Curator of Mammals, Roberto Portela Miguez said the latest discovery has emphasised how important museum collections can be. He said collections such as the bandicoots are fundamental to boost everyone’s understanding of past and present biodiversity on Earth.

Travouillon added that the Pig-footed Bandicoot is among more than 30 species of mammal in Australia to become extinct since European colonisation.