Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Marsupials/Answer Key"

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(Eastern Quoll)
 
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<table border="1" cellspacing="0" align="right" cellpadding="2" style="margin-left:1em;">
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<table border="1" cellspacing="0" align="right" cellpadding="2" style="margin-left: 0.5em">
<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>'''Quolls'''<br>{{StatusVulnerable}}</th></tr>
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<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>'''Pademelon'''</th></tr>
<!-- <tr><td align="center">[[Image:Quoll_s.jpg|230px|]]</td></tr> -->
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<tr><td></td></tr>
<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>{{taxonomy}}</th></tr>
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<tr><td>[[image:pademelon.jpg|300px]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>
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<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>'''[[Scientific Classification]]'''</th></tr>
<table align="center">
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<tr><td><table align="center">
<tr><td>{{Regnum}}:</td><td>[[Animal]]ia</td>
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<tr><td>{{Regnum}}:</td><td>[[Animal]]ia</td></tr>
</tr>
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<tr><td>{{Subregnum}}:</td><td>[[Chordata]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>{{Phylum}}:</td><td>[[Chordate|Chordata]]
 
</td></tr>
 
 
<tr><td>{{Classis}}:</td><td>[[Mammal]]ia</td></tr>
 
<tr><td>{{Classis}}:</td><td>[[Mammal]]ia</td></tr>
<tr><td>{{Subclassis}}:</td><td>[[Marsupialia]]</td></tr>
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<tr><td>{{Ordo}}:</td><td>[[Diprotodontia]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>{{Ordo}}:</td><td>[[Dasyuromorphia]]</td></tr>
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<tr><td>{{Familia}}:</td><td>[[Macropodidae]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>{{Familia}}: </td><td>[[Dasyuridae]] </td>
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<tr><td>{{Genus}}:</td><td>'''''Thylogale'''''</td></tr>
</tr>
 
<tr><td>{{Genus}}: </td>
 
<td>'''''[[Dasyurus]]'''''</td></tr>
 
 
</table>
 
</table>
</td></tr>
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</table> A '''pademelon''' is any of four species of small, kangaroo-like creatures that are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the [[macropod]]s.
</table>
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'''Quolls''' (genus ''Dasyurus'') are [[carnivorous]] [[marsupial]]s, native to [[Australia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Adults are between 25 and 75&nbsp;[[Centimeter|cm]] long, with hairy tails about 20-35&nbsp;cm long. Females have six to eight nipples and develop a pouch&mdash;which opens towards the tail&mdash;only during the breeding season, when they are rearing young. Quolls live both in forests and in open valley land. Though primarily ground-dwelling, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. Their molars and canines are strongly developed.  
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Pademelons, [[wallaby|wallabies]], and [[kangaroo]]s are all very alike in body structure, and the names just refer to the three different size groups. Originally wallabies were divided into small and large wallabies, but a more suitable name was needed to differentiate between them. The word "pademelon" is probably a corruption of their aboriginal name.
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Besides their smaller size, pademelons can be distinguished from wallabies by their shorter, thicker, and sparsely haired tails.
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==Distribution and habitat==
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[[Red-necked Pademelon]]s can be found in the coastal regions of [[Queensland]] and [[New South Wales]]. In some places their range has been drastically reduced. [[Red-legged Pademelon]]s can also be found in south-central [[New Guinea]]. The Red-bellied or Tasmanian Pademelon is abundant in [[Tasmania]]. The Dusky Pademelon lives in [[Papua New Guinea]] and surrounding islands.
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The natural habitat of the pademelon is in thick scrubland or dense forested undergrowth. They also make tunnels through long grasses and bushes in swampy country.
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==Diet and behavior==
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If there are no predators, such as dogs, they graze in the early mornings or evenings on grassy slopes near thickets, into which they can quickly escape at the first sign of danger. Pademelons are nocturnal and feed at night.
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Their main diet is made up of grasses, leaves, and small shoots. They do little damage to crops and are not as aggressive as wallabies and kangaroos can be,  making them gentle pets.  
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Tasmanian Pademelons were important to the [[Thylacine]]'s diet, and are still preyed on by [[quoll]]s, [[Tasmanian Devil]]s, and [[Wedge-tailed Eagle]]s. Despite these predators, there are many in Tasmania and every year some are killed off to keep their numbers down.
  
==Eastern Quoll==
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==Problems faced==  
  
The eastern quoll&mdash;also known as the native cat&mdash;has two [[color]] phases&mdash;ginger-[[brown]] or [[black]], both with [[white]] spots on the body.
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Pademelon meat used to be considered valuable, and was eaten by settlers and aborigines for a long time. It was once even suggested that they be introduced to France as a meat supply. However, pademelons, like all kangaroos, are slow breeders and almost always produce one young per year, meaning it would be difficult to raise enough to use for food.
  
Eastern quolls once occured on mainland [[Australia]], with the last sighting occuring in the [[Sydney]] suburb of Vaucluse in the early 1960s.  They are now considered extinct on the mainlnad, although some recent sightings in the [[New England]] region of northern [[New South Wales]] suggest that the species may still survive.
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Aside from being killed for their meat and soft fur, their numbers have been reduced by the introduction of predators such as feral cats, dogs, and foxes. The [[rabbit (ecology)|rabbit]] explosion has also caused problems, as rabbits graze on the same grasses making less available for the pademelon. Also, people clearing the land to make room for homes has pushed the larger wallabies and kangaroos into the land that the pademelons had been thriving in for so long.
  
== Taxonomy ==
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==Conservation status==
  
Within the genus ''Dasyurus'', the following species exist:
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* [[Red-legged Pademelon]] (''Thylogale stigmatica'') - vulnerable
*''[[Dasyurus albopunctatus]]'' &mdash; New Guinean Quoll, New Guinea
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* [[Red-necked Pademelon]] (''Thylogale thetis'') - common
*''[[Dasyurus geoffroii]]'' &mdash; Chuditch or Western Quoll, western Australia
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* [[Dusky Pademelon]] (''Thylogale brunii'') - vulnerable
*''[[Northern quoll|Dasyurus hallucatus]]'' &mdash; Northern Quoll, northern Australia
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* Tasmanian or [[Red-bellied Pademelon]] (''Thylogale billardierii'') - partially protected
*''[[Dasyurus maculatus]]'' &mdash; Spotted Quoll (Tiger Quoll), eastern Australia
 
*''[[Dasyurus spartacus]]'' &mdash; Bronze Quoll, New Guinea
 
*''[[Dasyurus viverrinus]]'' &mdash; Eastern Quoll, [[Tasmania]]
 
  
{{Australia-stub}}
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[[de:Filander]]
{{Animal-stub}}
 
  
[[Category:Dasyuromorphs]]
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[[Category:Australian animals]]

Revision as of 04:44, 16 April 2005

Pademelon
300px
Scientific Classification
Template:Regnum:Animalia
Template:Subregnum:Chordata
Template:Classis:Mammalia
Template:Ordo:Diprotodontia
Template:Familia:Macropodidae
Template:Genus:Thylogale

A pademelon is any of four species of small, kangaroo-like creatures that are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods.

Pademelons, wallabies, and kangaroos are all very alike in body structure, and the names just refer to the three different size groups. Originally wallabies were divided into small and large wallabies, but a more suitable name was needed to differentiate between them. The word "pademelon" is probably a corruption of their aboriginal name.

Besides their smaller size, pademelons can be distinguished from wallabies by their shorter, thicker, and sparsely haired tails.

Distribution and habitat

Red-necked Pademelons can be found in the coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales. In some places their range has been drastically reduced. Red-legged Pademelons can also be found in south-central New Guinea. The Red-bellied or Tasmanian Pademelon is abundant in Tasmania. The Dusky Pademelon lives in Papua New Guinea and surrounding islands.

The natural habitat of the pademelon is in thick scrubland or dense forested undergrowth. They also make tunnels through long grasses and bushes in swampy country.

Diet and behavior

If there are no predators, such as dogs, they graze in the early mornings or evenings on grassy slopes near thickets, into which they can quickly escape at the first sign of danger. Pademelons are nocturnal and feed at night.

Their main diet is made up of grasses, leaves, and small shoots. They do little damage to crops and are not as aggressive as wallabies and kangaroos can be, making them gentle pets.

Tasmanian Pademelons were important to the Thylacine's diet, and are still preyed on by quolls, Tasmanian Devils, and Wedge-tailed Eagles. Despite these predators, there are many in Tasmania and every year some are killed off to keep their numbers down.

Problems faced

Pademelon meat used to be considered valuable, and was eaten by settlers and aborigines for a long time. It was once even suggested that they be introduced to France as a meat supply. However, pademelons, like all kangaroos, are slow breeders and almost always produce one young per year, meaning it would be difficult to raise enough to use for food.

Aside from being killed for their meat and soft fur, their numbers have been reduced by the introduction of predators such as feral cats, dogs, and foxes. The rabbit explosion has also caused problems, as rabbits graze on the same grasses making less available for the pademelon. Also, people clearing the land to make room for homes has pushed the larger wallabies and kangaroos into the land that the pademelons had been thriving in for so long.

Conservation status

de:Filander