The kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei), also known by its Diyari name kariri, is a small carnivorous marsupial native to the gibber deserts of central Australia. It is the sole member of the genus Dasyuroides.

Other names for the species include brush-tailed marsupial rat, bushy-tailed marsupial rat, kawiri, Kayer rat, and Byrne's crest-tailed marsupial rat.

Taxonomy

The kowari was first described by Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer in 1896, based on a type specimen collected near Charlotte Waters in the Northern Territory. The species was named in honour of Patrick Michael Byrne, the telegraph operator at the Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station who handed the specimen to Spencer. However, it is likely that the specimen was first collected by a person from the Arrernte nation.

The kowari is a member of the family Dasyuridae, and the sole member of genus Dasyuroides. For some time it was included in the genus Dasycercus with the mulgaras, however recent genetic work has confidently separated the kowari as their sister-taxon.

It was once thought that there were two subspecies, however these were based on minor morphological differences and they are no longer recognised:

  • D. b. byrnei, including the original type specimen from Charlotte Waters, Northern Territory;
  • D. b. pallidior, type specimen from Killalpaninna, South Australia.

Description

The kowari is most readily distinguished from its closest relatives, the mulgaras, by having a thick, bushy brush of black hairs fully encircling the end of its tail. Head-body length is for males and for females, with both sexes having tails long. Its range is declining, and it is now extinct in the Northern Territory. Most animals of equal or smaller size to the kowari may be considered prey if the opportunity arises, including birds. Kowaris kill with strong bites to the head, although they do not always strike the optimal location. Once weaned, the young will live independently. Wild kowari lifespans average little more than a year, although some have been known to live and breed for two years in the wild, or longer in captivity.

Much of its remaining range is currently run as pastoral land for the production of beef. In Queensland, it is protected in both the Astrebla Downs and Diamantina National Parks, although it has not been seen in Diamantina National Park since 2012. In South Australia, none of its current range falls under conservation tenement, though a predator free reserve of 12,000 hectares has been set up near Andamooka Station where 12 kowaris were transferred to from around the Birdsville Track in 2022.

Threats

The kowari's primary threat is habitat degradation, particularly by livestock, but also rabbits.

References

  • Animal Info on the Kowari