Eastern Barred Bandicoot

Perameles gunnii is a small, ground-dwelling marsupial recognisable by its pointed muzzle, large upright ears, and the series of pale bars crossing its brownish-grey hindquarters. It is nocturnal and solitary, sheltering by day in nests of grass and vegetation before emerging at night to forage. Using its strong foreclaws, it digs small conical pits in soil to locate invertebrates, fungi, and plant material, a foraging behaviour that aerates soil and promotes seed dispersal and fungal spore distribution, giving the species an important ecosystem engineering role in the grassland habitats it occupies.

Historically distributed across the volcanic and grassy plains of western Victoria and Tasmania, the species' range has contracted substantially, with mainland populations now largely restricted to reintroduced or fenced sites. It favours native and modified grasslands, grassy woodlands, and pasture edges.

Predation by introduced red foxes and feral cats has been a primary driver of decline, particularly on the mainland, while competition and disease risk from other species add further pressure. Habitat loss and degradation linked to land clearing and logging have reduced available shelter and foraging ground.

Conservation efforts include intensive predator control, the establishment of predator-proof exclosures, and coordinated captive breeding and reintroduction programs across Victoria and Tasmania. Monitoring programs track population numbers within managed reserves, and some island populations have been established as insurance sites.

The species remains classified as Vulnerable with a decreasing population trend. Mainland survival is now heavily dependent on continued human intervention, including predator management and translocation, while Tasmanian populations, though comparatively more secure, still face ongoing threats from habitat modification and introduced predators.