Fauna Spotters logo

Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata)

The Fat-tailed Dunnart is a small, nocturnal, carnivorous marsupial found across all mainland Australian states. It uses open woodland, shrubland, grassland, saltbush and bluebush shrubland, including modified farmland where suitable ground shelter remains. On development sites, clearing of tussock grassland, inter-tussock spaces, rocks, logs and soil cracks can remove both foraging habitat and daytime refuge sites, while cats, foxes, roads and fragmentation increase risk.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Timing varies across the broad national range, but the cited biology indicates breeding from July to February, communal nest sharing and torpor mainly during the cooler or food-poor period, and no regular migration.

Month values are January to December: 0, not typical; 1, occurs; 2, peak. Breeding timing varies across the species' broad Australian range.

  • Breeding: Breeding occurs from July to February. Wild reproductive activity was recorded mainly from late September or October in the cited studies.
  • Young: Females can have up to 8 to 10 pouch young. Pouch development lasts about 65 to 70 days and weaning occurs at about 10 weeks, so dependent young may be present during much of the breeding period.
  • Nest sharing and torpor: Groups of 2 to 8 may share nests during the non-breeding period, generally April to July. Individuals may enter torpor when food is scarce, including during winter.
  • Movement and nesting range shifts: The species is not described as migratory. Home ranges are large, overlapping and spatially unstable, while particular resting sites within a nesting range may be reused over days and weeks.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing is most likely to harm the species from July to February because breeding females, pouch young and dependent young may be present. Shelter disturbance can also harm torpid or communal animals from April to July, so refuge checks are needed year round.

Identification

The Fat-tailed Dunnart is a very small dasyurid with large ears and eyes and a distinctly swollen tail. It is most likely to be encountered at night, or detected indirectly from grass nests and shelter use.

Adults have a head and body length of 6 to 9 cm, a tail 4 to 7 cm long and a mass of 10 to 20 g. The tail is swollen because it stores fat, and is shorter than the tail of the Stripe-faced Dunnart, Sminthopsis macroura. Coat colour, body size, ear length and tail length vary across the range.

The species is nocturnal. It has large ears and eyes, a short, swollen tail and a small, compact body. In southern animals, the tail is markedly shorter than the head and body length.

Head and body: 6 to 9 cm

Tail: 4 to 7 cm

Mass: 10 to 20 g

Identification: Distinguishing features

The swollen, relatively short tail is the main feature separating this species from the Stripe-faced Dunnart, which has a longer tail. Identification from a brief view can be difficult because the species is small, nocturnal and variable in colour and proportions.

Do not rely on body size alone. Other small dunnarts can overlap in size, and positive identification may require clear photographs, close examination of the tail and ears, or expert confirmation.

Identification: Field signs

The species constructs nests from grass or other dry plant material. Nests may occur beneath logs or rocks, in cracks in clay soil, or in other sheltered ground-level locations.

Individual tracks, scats and calls are not described in the supplied documents as reliable species-specific field signs. A small nocturnal mammal seen in open grassland should not be identified from eyeshine alone.

Repeated use of particular resting sites within a small nesting range is possible. During the non-breeding period, groups of 2 to 8 animals may share communal nests.

Communal nest groups: 2 to 8 animals may share nests outside the breeding period.

  • Inspect beneath logs, rocks, discarded fence posts, corrugated iron and dense grass for dry grass nests before disturbing the substrate.
  • Treat small ground nests and fresh shelter use as potential dunnart evidence where suitable open grassland habitat is present.
  • Use targeted nocturnal survey and expert review where a visual observation is brief or the tail is not clearly visible.

Distribution: National range

The Fat-tailed Dunnart has the broadest distribution of the 19 Australian dunnart species. It occurs across all mainland states, from relatively moist southern areas through semi-arid and arid inland regions.

The species occurs in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Its range extends from southern coastal and near-coastal areas through inland Australia to the Lake Eyre Basin and other arid regions.

The southern and south-eastern genetic group occurs in Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. A separate central and western genetic group occurs across South Australia, western New South Wales, western Queensland, the southern Northern Territory and southern Western Australia. These genetic groups are not formally recognised as separate subspecies.

Distribution: Bioregions and known areas

Documented habitat settings include the Victorian Volcanic Plains grasslands, the Riverina and Murray-Darling Depression, the Lake Eyre Basin, and arid and semi-arid areas containing saltbush, bluebush, spinifex, open woodland and gibber plain.

The Western Treatment Plant grasslands near Werribee supported a historically large Victorian population, with more than 700 captures recorded during surveys from 1972 to 1976. The species was not detected there in a 2019 survey and had not been recorded at the site since 2010.

Distribution: Population status

The national population size is not known. The species is classified as Least Concern globally in the source material, but the Victorian assessment found evidence of a high extinction risk within Victoria and supported Vulnerable listing under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

Victorian Atlas of Living Australia records fell from 228 in 2000 to 2009 to 81 in 2010 to 2019. The Victorian assessment inferred a population reduction of 30 to 40% over the preceding 10 years, although the species is difficult to survey because it is small, cryptic and mainly solitary.

Estimated Victorian area of occupancy: 1,427 km²

Victorian threat-based locations: 6

Victorian inferred reduction over 10 years: 30 to 40%

Victorian records: 228 in 2000 to 2009, compared with 81 in 2010 to 2019

Habitat: Habitat types

Fat-tailed Dunnarts use open vegetation with low or discontinuous cover, abundant ground invertebrates and nearby shelter. In Victoria, native grassland structure is particularly important.

The species occurs in open woodland, low saltbush and bluebush shrubland, tussock and spinifex grassland, gibber plain and farmland. It uses clay and sandy soils and can occur from relatively moist southern areas to arid inland plains.

In Victoria, it is strongly associated with native grasslands, including grasslands on the Victorian Volcanic Plains and grassy habitats on the Riverine Plain. It may persist in agricultural areas where suitable shelter and open foraging habitat remain.

Habitat: Habitat structure

Suitable Victorian habitat contains tussock grasses, inter-tussock forbs and small open spaces. Sparse vegetation is favoured because inter-tussock gaps provide movement routes, feeding areas, nest sites and visibility for detecting predators.

Rocks, fallen timber and cracks in clay soils provide shelter. Dense exotic pasture grasses and legumes can fill inter-tussock spaces and reduce the structure used by the species.

  • Retain native tussocks, inter-tussock gaps, fallen timber, rocks and natural soil cracks within the work area.
  • Map open grassland patches and connected shelter features before clearing or grading.
  • Avoid treating modified grassland as unsuitable without assessment, because the species can use agricultural land when shelter and foraging habitat remain.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents do not provide a defined elevation limit. They describe a broad climatic range from relatively moist southern regions to semi-arid and arid inland Australia, including the Lake Eyre Basin.

Habitat suitability varies with rainfall, vegetation structure and prey availability. In arid areas, abundance can fluctuate with rainfall and the resulting supply of invertebrate prey.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Fat-tailed Dunnarts forage on the ground at night, usually in open areas among tussocks, forbs, low shrubs and sparse grass cover.

Arthropods form most of the diet. Recorded prey include spiders, ants, crickets, beetles, cockroaches, earthworms and insect larvae or pupae. Small vertebrates such as skinks and mice are taken occasionally.

A western New South Wales diet study found spiders made up 53% of invertebrate prey, beetles 24%, and Hymenoptera, mainly ants, and Orthoptera, mainly crickets, were also heavily eaten. Cockroaches made up less than 1% of prey in that sample.

Spiders in one diet study: 53% of invertebrate prey

Beetles in one diet study: 24% of invertebrate prey

Foraging habitat: Foraging method and habitat

The species searches on the ground using sight and sound. It forages in bare or sparsely vegetated open areas and obtains enough water from prey that it does not normally need to drink.

Juicy prey such as cockroaches and spiders may be important during drought, while energy-rich beetles are more important at other times. Prey availability is likely to be highest where native ground vegetation, soil litter and inter-tussock spaces are retained.

  • Retain open gaps between tussocks and low shrubs rather than creating a continuous dense grass layer.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of leaf litter, grass tussocks, logs and rocks that support invertebrates and provide nearby cover.
  • Schedule night works away from known or suspected activity areas where practicable, particularly during the breeding season.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

The species has large, overlapping home ranges, but the supplied documents do not provide a standard home range size or a fixed foraging distance. Home ranges are spatially unstable and may contain several separate nesting ranges.

Individuals show high site fidelity to particular resting sites within a nesting range over days and weeks, although they may later shift to another nesting range.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in sheltered ground nests within open grassland, shrubland, woodland or farmland habitat. The main breeding requirements are nearby prey, low ground cover with movement gaps and a secure nest site.

Females give birth to 8 to 10 young, although an average of about 5 young survives to weaning in the source account. Females have 8 to 10 teats, and litters commonly contain around 5 to 7 young in the Victorian assessment.

Females may reproduce in two breeding seasons, but males generally contribute to only one breeding season and commonly die after mating in their first year. Young remain associated with the pouch and nest for an extended period, with weaning at about 10 weeks.

Breeding season: July to February

Litter size: Usually around 5 to 7 young; up to 8 to 10 young may be born

Gestation: Approximately 14 days

Pouch development: Approximately 65 to 70 days

Weaning: Approximately 10 weeks

Age at maturity: Females approximately 4 months; males approximately 7 months

Expected wild lifespan: Approximately 2 years for females and 1 year for males

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Females nest alone during the breeding period, generally August to March in the behavioural account, and defend only a small area around the nest. Nests are made from grass or other dry plant material and are placed beneath logs or rocks, in soil cracks or in other sheltered ground sites.

Open native grassland with tussocks, inter-tussock gaps and nearby rocks or fallen timber can provide both prey and nesting cover. Seasonal wetland margins with cracks in drying clay soil may also be used.

  • Search likely shelter sites before clearing, including under rocks, logs, fence posts, corrugated iron and dense grass.
  • Protect a buffer around active nests where practicable, and use a fauna spotter catcher if a nest or dependent young is found.
  • Do not assume that a site is unoccupied because no animals are seen during daylight.

Sheltering habitat: Natural refuges

Daytime shelter is close to the ground and usually concealed. Shelter features can be natural or artificial, so disturbed farmland and construction sites may still contain occupied refuge sites.

Fat-tailed Dunnarts shelter in nests made from grass or other dry plant material beneath logs and rocks. In arid areas they may use deep cracks in the soil, while in Victorian grasslands they use cracks formed in clay soils and shelter sites in seasonally dry wetlands.

The species may reuse specific resting sites within a relatively small nesting range. Shelter use is therefore possible even where the surrounding vegetation appears sparse.

  • Inspect soil cracks, rock piles, fallen timber, tussock bases and dry wetland margins before excavation or earthworks.
  • Retain connected shelter features where possible, rather than isolating individual logs or rocks in cleared ground.

Sheltering habitat: Artificial shelter

On farms, individuals have been found beneath discarded fence posts and sheets of corrugated iron. These materials can function as replacement shelter, but their presence does not indicate that the surrounding habitat is low value.

During autumn and winter, groups commonly share nests to conserve body heat. Nest-sharing groups are temporary and may contain 2 to 8 animals.

Nest-sharing groups: 2 to 8 animals

  • Lift corrugated iron, timber and other ground materials slowly and with a spotter catcher present where suitable habitat occurs.
  • Place lifted materials back carefully or remove them under an agreed fauna management procedure.
  • Check communal shelter sites more than once if works continue through autumn or winter.

Sheltering habitat: Torpor and shelter use

Individuals can enter torpor when food is scarce and may huddle communally during autumn and winter. Torpor reduces activity and can make animals less likely to flee from machinery or handling.

The supplied documents do not provide refuge dimensions or burrow dimensions. Treat any suitable ground shelter as potentially occupied rather than relying on a minimum size threshold.

Threats: Clearing and habitat conversion

The main project risks are removal of open native grassland, shelter features and soil cracks, followed by direct mortality, predation and isolation of remaining habitat patches.

Cropping, grading, tillage, drainage changes, rock removal, rock crushing, soil treatment, herbicide and other biocide use can remove or alter dunnart habitat. Conversion from grazing to cropping can replace structurally diverse grassland with a monoculture and remove inter-tussock spaces.

In the Western Treatment Plant example, three of four historical survey sites became unsuitable after agricultural use, rock stripping, cropping or construction of grain silos. Suitable habitat at that location was reduced by 75% over about 45 years.

  • Avoid clearing native tussocks, inter-tussock gaps, rocks, logs and clay soil cracks unless the impact has been assessed.
  • Stage clearing so a spotter catcher can inspect shelter features before disturbance.
  • Keep retained habitat connected to other grassland or shelter areas where practicable.

Threats: Fragmentation and roads

Victorian populations are severely fragmented and many animals occur on private agricultural land or roadside grassland. Roads can deter movement and may expose small mammals to foxes, cats and raptors while they cross.

The Victorian assessment identified continuing decline in area of occupancy, habitat quality and the number of mature individuals. It estimated six threat-based locations and an area of occupancy of 1,427 km².

  • Minimise temporary and permanent road footprints through occupied or potentially occupied grassland.
  • Use low-speed controls and fauna checks on access tracks where animals may move between shelter patches.
  • Do not use roadside habitat as a disposal or laydown area without checking for nests and shelter features.

Threats: Predators and introduced rodents

Feral cats and foxes directly prey on Fat-tailed Dunnarts and may also reduce their invertebrate prey. Black Rats and Brown Rats may compete for food and shelter and may prey on dunnarts.

High mortality from Black Rats was documented after a Fat-tailed Dunnart reintroduction at the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary. The supplied documents also identify concern about increased Brown Rat densities in wet periods.

  • Control food waste and construction materials that attract cats, foxes or rats.
  • Do not create unmanaged piles of materials that provide shelter for introduced rodents beside retained grassland.
  • Include predator and rodent controls in site environmental plans where dunnarts or suitable habitat are present.

Threats: Fire, grazing and vegetation change

Absence of fire or grazing can allow biomass to accumulate and remove the open structure required for movement, foraging and predator detection. Excessive or poorly timed burning can also remove nests and ground cover.

Exotic pasture grasses and legumes can fill inter-tussock spaces and change the structure of grassland habitat.

  • Manage biomass using a site-specific ecological burning or grazing plan rather than applying an unmanaged fire regime.
  • Avoid burning or slashing areas containing active nests or dependent young.
  • Retain a mosaic of tussock cover and open inter-tussock spaces.

Threats: Hydrology and other pressures

Drainage modification, irrigation and changes to seasonally dry wetland areas can remove clay cracks, alter grassland structure and reduce suitable shelter. The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific disease threat.

Poison baiting with 1080 may expose dunnarts, although laboratory evidence cited in the source indicates reduced intake, vomiting and aversion to poisoned meat in related Sminthopsis animals.

  • Assess drainage, dewatering and changes to seasonal wetland inundation before works begin.
  • Keep excavation, dewatering and spoil placement away from dry wetland margins and clay crack habitat where practicable.
  • Record any proposed poison baiting near known dunnart habitat and assess non-target risks before deployment.

Survey methodology: 1. Live trapping and refuge searches

Survey effort should focus on open grassland, grassy woodland, low shrubland, seasonally dry wetland margins and other areas with sparse ground cover and shelter. No species-specific survey effort is prescribed in the supplied documents, so the project ecologist should set effort according to habitat quality, disturbance area, season and detection risk.

Use targeted live trapping where the species may be present and the project decision depends on confirming presence or absence.

Place traps near fallen timber, rocks, artificial refuges, grass nests, soil cracks and other sheltered sites, while avoiding locations that could expose animals to heat, cold, flooding or predators.

Run trapping under the relevant state wildlife research or animal ethics approvals, with trained personnel, suitable shelter and food, and checks at the legally required frequency.

The species is small, cryptic, mostly solitary and nocturnal, so failure to capture animals does not demonstrate absence. It weighs about 15 g and commonly shelters during the day in grass nests, beneath logs or rocks, or in soil cracks.

Body size: Head and body length 6 to 9 cm; tail length 4 to 7 cm; weight 10 to 20 g.

Activity: Nocturnal; breeding generally occurs from July to February.

Survey methodology: 2. Artificial refuge and shelter searches

Search systematically beneath and around existing logs, rocks, discarded fence posts, corrugated iron and other ground refuges, and inspect suitable soil cracks where this can be done safely.

Where permitted, use artificial refuges such as terracotta roof tiles to increase detection of animals using sparse grassland habitat.

Record the location, type, condition and dimensions of each refuge searched, together with search date, time, weather, ground cover and any animal, nest, scat or track detected.

Do not remove or relocate natural shelter during a survey unless this is part of an approved method and the shelter can be replaced immediately.

Survey methodology: 3. Nocturnal searches and detection

Undertake nocturnal searches in suitable habitat because Fat-tailed Dunnarts forage on the ground at night and shelter during the day.

Search open areas between tussocks, inter-tussock spaces, grassland edges, fallen timber, rocks, wetland margins and soil cracks, where safe access is available.

Use repeated visits when conditions, habitat quality or project risk indicate that a single visit would be inadequate, particularly where recent records, suitable shelter or connected grassland remain.

Record the search route or transect, area covered, start and finish times, weather, moon or light conditions, observers, detection method and any evidence of predators or competing rodents.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Define the survey area before fieldwork and map all suitable habitat, potential shelter and proposed disturbance footprints.
  • Set and justify the number of nights, trap nights, refuge searches and search area in the survey plan; the supplied documents do not provide a standard minimum effort for this species.
  • Survey during the species' active period where practicable, and consider July to February as the breeding period when planning disturbance and interpreting records.
  • Treat a no-detection result cautiously because the species is cryptic, small, predominantly solitary and difficult to detect with limited effort.
  • Report all records, including captures, sightings, nests, scats and reliable remains, to the relevant state wildlife database and retain coordinates, date, observer, method, habitat and photographs.
  • Check current Commonwealth and state survey, permit and database requirements before fieldwork begins.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

The main project risks are removal of open grassy habitat, shelter features and inter-tussock spaces, together with predation and fragmentation. Avoid disturbance first, then retain the features that allow animals to shelter, forage and move between retained habitat.

  • Redesign the footprint to retain native grassland, grassy woodland, low shrubland, seasonally dry wetland margins and connected roadside or reserve habitat where Fat-tailed Dunnarts may occur.
  • Retain fallen logs, rocks, natural soil cracks, tussock grass and open inter-tussock spaces within the work area unless their removal is authorised and unavoidable.
  • Avoid rock removal, grading, drainage changes, deep soil disturbance, broad vegetation slashing and conversion of native grassland to compacted or monoculture surfaces.
  • Maintain connections between retained habitat patches where practicable, because roads and cleared areas can restrict movement and increase exposure to predators.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Victorian status: Vulnerable, based on the supplied Victorian Scientific Advisory Committee recommendation and the user-provided listing.

EPBC status in supplied information: Not listed.

  • Check the current EPBC Act list and the relevant state threatened species list before works start; the supplied Victorian assessment supports Vulnerable listing in Victoria, while the species is recorded as not listed under the EPBC Act in the provided project information.
  • Obtain any required state wildlife, research, animal ethics, handling and relocation approvals before trapping, capture, exclusion or translocation.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan where suitable habitat or a recent record occurs within or next to the works.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available while each work area is checked and cleared, and avoid high-risk works during the breeding period from July to February where practicable.
  • Include stop-work, animal handling, injured wildlife, severe weather, predator and unexpected habitat discovery procedures in the site environmental plan.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance survey of the disturbance footprint and a suitable adjoining area using the approved methods in the survey plan.
  • Mark retained tussock grass, inter-tussock spaces, logs, rocks, soil cracks, wetland edges and connected habitat on construction drawings and in the field.
  • Install exclusion fencing around retained habitat and identified shelter where it will prevent machinery access, without trapping animals inside the work zone.
  • Brief machine operators and spotter catchers on the species' size, nocturnal activity, shelter sites, handling limits and stop-work triggers before clearing begins.
  • Schedule final checks close to clearing because animals may move into or out of the footprint after the initial survey.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Clearing must proceed slowly and under direct fauna spotter catcher supervision. The spotter catcher should protect shelter features, keep machinery out of retained habitat and stop work when an animal or suitable occupied refuge is found.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, access tracks, retained habitat and weather conditions before each shift.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher with authority to stop machinery immediately when an animal, nest, burrow, soil crack, log, rock refuge or unexpected habitat feature is found.
  • Clear from the least disturbed edge towards already cleared ground where practicable, so animals are not driven into active machinery or isolated within the work zone.
  • Keep machinery speeds low in habitat and use a defined clearing corridor so the spotter catcher can maintain visual coverage.
  • Stop work during conditions that make small nocturnal mammals vulnerable, including extreme heat, flooding, smoke or unsafe visibility, unless the approved fauna management plan provides a safe alternative.

During habitat disturbance: Shelter and habitat feature handling

  • Do not crush or bury logs, rocks, tussock clumps, soil cracks or wetland-edge shelter before the spotter catcher has inspected them.
  • Lower or move logs and rocks only under the approved procedure, and place them immediately in nearby retained habitat if an authorised ecologist determines that relocation is safe.
  • Protect seasonally dry wetland margins and clay soil cracks from unnecessary filling, compaction and drainage alteration.
  • Do not assume that discarded fence posts or corrugated iron are waste: the species may use them as shelter on farms.
  • Keep any retained artificial or natural refuges undisturbed after placement and record their new location.

During habitat disturbance: Animal handling and stop-work response

  • Stop work and establish a quiet exclusion zone if a Fat-tailed Dunnart is seen, captured or found injured.
  • Only an appropriately authorised and trained person should capture, handle, identify, contain or relocate the animal.
  • Use a dark, secure, ventilated container with suitable temperature protection and minimise handling time; do not expose the animal to direct sun, excessive heat, cold or unnecessary noise.
  • Relocate a healthy animal only under the approved plan and approval conditions, to nearby suitable retained habitat with tussock cover, open inter-tussock spaces and shelter such as logs or rocks.
  • Do not release an animal into isolated habitat, across a road or into an area exposed to active machinery, cats, foxes, flooding or unsuitable ground conditions.
  • Take an injured, debilitated or heat-stressed animal to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable, following the relevant state wildlife requirements.
  • Resume work only after the authorised ecologist confirms that the animal has been safely removed or the area is clear and the stop-work condition has been addressed.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

  • Record every sighting, capture, handling event, relocation, injury, death, refuge inspection and stop-work event on the day it occurs.
  • For each record, note the date, time, coordinates, habitat, shelter feature, method, animal condition, handler, destination and photographs where safe and lawful.
  • Report unexpected mortality, repeated predator activity, high rodent activity, failed exclusion fencing and any unapproved disturbance to the project environmental officer and relevant regulator.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the project register with the environmental approval records.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no animals or occupied shelter remain in the footprint and that retained habitat controls are still working. Monitoring should focus on habitat condition, shelter availability, connectivity and threats rather than relying only on incidental sightings.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained habitat edge, exclusion fencing, access tracks and spoil areas after each clearing stage.
  • Search remaining logs, rocks, tussock clumps, soil cracks and other shelter features where this is safe and required by the fauna management plan.
  • Check that no animal has been trapped behind fencing, in excavations, in pipes, under stored materials or against temporary barriers.
  • Backfill or cover excavations and secure pipes, trenches and other temporary structures when they are not actively being worked on.
  • Remove temporary barriers only after the authorised ecologist confirms that they are no longer needed and that animals cannot re-enter a hazardous work area.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat and any relocation sites using the approved combination of refuge searches, live trapping and nocturnal searches, with effort and timing documented in the monitoring plan.
  • Inspect whether tussock cover, inter-tussock spaces, logs, rocks and soil cracks remain available and whether weeds, dense biomass, erosion or compaction are changing habitat structure.
  • Record Fat-tailed Dunnart detections and evidence of use, including nests, tracks, scats, captures and shelter use, rather than recording sightings alone.
  • Report monitoring results, incidents, deaths, relocations, habitat loss and corrective actions to the regulator or approval holder where required.

After habitat disturbance: Controls, offsets and corrective action

  • Maintain fencing, signage, low-speed controls and machinery exclusion zones until the work area is stable and no longer presents a fauna hazard.
  • Repair damaged fencing and reinstate displaced logs, rocks or other approved shelter features promptly.
  • Apply an approved offset or compensatory habitat measure where residual impacts cannot be avoided and an approval or state requirement applies.
  • Escalate declining detections, new fragmentation, predator activity or loss of shelter to the project ecologist for review of the management plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the open, sheltered grassland structure used by Fat-tailed Dunnarts. The target is not dense vegetation alone. It is a mix of tussock cover, open inter-tussock spaces, ground refuges and connected habitat with low predator and weed pressure.

  • Re-establish locally appropriate native tussock grasses and inter-tussock forbs suited to the local soil, rainfall and ecological community.
  • Retain or reinstate small open spaces between tussocks for movement, foraging, nesting and predator detection.
  • Replace suitable logs and rocks in stable positions that provide shelter without creating hazards for people, machinery or livestock.
  • Restore clay soil cracks, seasonally dry wetland margins and other natural shelter features where the works altered them, subject to erosion and drainage controls.
  • Use artificial refuge structures only where they are approved, safe, maintained and appropriate for the site; the species has been recorded using artificial shelter such as discarded fence posts, corrugated iron and terracotta roof tiles.

Rehabilitation actions: Connectivity and threat management

  • Link rehabilitated areas with retained native grassland, grassy woodland, shrubland or wetland-edge habitat wherever practicable.
  • Control weeds that fill inter-tussock spaces or replace native grassland structure, while avoiding broad-spectrum chemical use that could reduce invertebrate prey or harm fauna.
  • Manage foxes and feral cats under an approved pest management programme because both can prey on Fat-tailed Dunnarts.
  • Monitor introduced rats and mice where they are abundant, because Black Rats and Brown Rats may compete for shelter and prey on small mammals.
  • Plan biomass management, grazing or fire only under an ecological burning or land management plan that maintains sparse ground cover and avoids direct harm to animals and nests.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitation after establishment and after major rain, fire or grazing events for native cover, inter-tussock space, shelter condition, weed invasion, erosion and predator activity.
  • Set site-specific success measures before works begin, including survival of planted native species, persistence of open ground, retention of logs and rocks, stable drainage and connection to retained habitat.
  • Use the approved refuge, live-trapping and nocturnal search methods to test for Fat-tailed Dunnart use where monitoring is required, and record effort so results can be interpreted.
  • Continue maintenance until the site supports the agreed habitat structure and no longer requires temporary fauna controls.

Sources