The rodents of South Australia

Abstract

Thirty species of rodents are recorded from South Australia. At the time of European settlement, the State probably supported at least 19 species of native rodents. Eight additional species have been recorded only in subfossil material. At least 11 species are now considered to be extinct and there have been significant declines in all the other species as a result of over 150 years of European influence. In addition, three species have been introduced to the State since European settlement. Over the last ten years, there has been a significant increase in our understanding of the distribution and ecology of what remains of the rodent fauna through a series of systematic, site-based biological surveys, a significant increase in research on subfossil and owl pellet remains, documentation of Aboriginal ecological knowledge and ecological and distributional studies on three species. This paper describes our current state of knowledge of the distribution, ecology and threats to the South Australian rodent fauna and makes suggestions for future research and conservation management.