Extinct mammals
Specimen of a Crescent Nailtail Wallaby specimen, Onychogalea lunata, collected from Western Australia in 1929 when the species was still considered to be common.
Illustration of the Crescent Nailtail Wallaby in The Mammals of Australia by John Gould.
Australia has the unfortunate distinction of being the continent in which the most mammal species have become extinct over the last 200 years. Changes brought about following European arrival, in particular widespread habitat alteration and the introduction of exotic species, have led to the extinction of 19 mammal species from Australia. A further 10 species have disappeared from the mainland but still occur on offshore islands. Museums are among the few places where specimens of these recently extinct species can now be found.
One example of an extinct species present in the Australian Museum collections but once widespread is the Crescent Nailtail Wallaby, (Oychogalea lunata). This small, beautifully marked wallaby once occurred over large parts of south-west and central Australia. In his book Furred Animals of Australia first published in 1941, the then Curator of Mammals at the Australian Museum, Ellis Troughton, noted that naturalists familiar with the species believed that it would inevitably become extinct with the advance of settlement and spread of the fox. The last specimen donated to the Australian Museum, collected from the south-west of Western Australia was registered in 1934 although the species is thought to have survived in parts of central Australia for much longer.
The Australian Museum has specimens of most recently extinct Australian mammals and a few overseas ones as well. They represent one of the few opportunities for researchers to study aspects of the biology of these animals such as morphology, evolutionary relationships and even diet. They also serve as a reminder of the consequences of inappropriate land management practices and the impacts of feral animals.
The Australian Museum's database of recently extinct mammals includes the common name, scientific name, locality (where the specimen was collected) and date (date it was collected).
All enquiries regarding any entry and general comments should be addressed to the Collection Manager, Email Sandy Ingleby
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Copyright © Australian Museum, 2003
