Townsville, Australia Photograph by John Morrison   Eastern Australia Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   132,200 square miles (342,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Kansas and Alabama combined Critical/Endangered

· Bogs and Brigalow
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Bogs and Brigalow

In this ecoregion, the spectacular gorges and escarpments of the Carnarvon Range bisect low, sweeping forests dominated by brigalow trees÷slender acacia trees with silvery crowns and dark trunks. A variety of other habitats can be found here as well, including semi-evergreen vine thickets, bogs, and eucalyptus forests--each with their own endemic wildlife.

Special Features

Vine thickets harbor two threatened species: black striped wallabies and the large wingless dung beetle. The dung beetles depend on the wallabiesâ dung as food for their grubs. Only small patches of vine thicket remain. Another small habitat type within the brigalow forest is boggomoss, a kind of small, elevated peat bog and swamp that forms a vital chain of wet environments in an otherwise dry habitat. Boggomoss is home to many endemic invertebrates, including the boggomoss snail. Many of these smaller habitat areas are not protected in national parks or reserves, and the majority of brigalow forest has already been cleared for agriculture.

	The northern hairy-nosed wombat is a burrower that lives in an interconnected system of burrows with up to ten other wombats. Each individual makes use of most of the individual burrows, but wombats live a solitary existence, avoiding encounters with one another. Burrows in use are marked with urine and dung, perhaps helping to maintain this delicate equilibrium.

Wild Side

Large areas of open brigalow forest, with some elevated areas of sandstone plateaus and hills, are home to many endemic creatures. Here, the black-throated finch jerks its head up and down, displaying its pale blue head and black throat. Two other rare birds found here are the black-breasted button-quail and the squatter pigeon. The reddish brown woma is a python that comes out only at night and uses its worm-like tail to lure prey. The northern hairy-nosed wombat prefers the flat grassland and eucalypt vegetation of Epping Forest. It is Australiaâs most endangered mammal, with fewer than 75 individuals remaining. These squat, gray burrowers are almost never seen because they leave their burrows only at night to graze on native grasses. Also present here is the brigalow scaly foot. This slim, dark, legless lizard has only a pair of hind limb flaps and spends most of its time under logs and debris. Other rare species include the endangered bridled nail-tail wallaby, the threatened and nocturnal ornamental snake, and the spotted-tailed quoll.

Cause for Concern

The major threat to this ecoregion is clearing or severe modification of the vegetation. Several species are regionally extinct and a number of animals are totally extinct. Many native plant species are now dependent on marginal habitats such as steep, rocky slopes. Invasive weeds, feral animals, overgrazing, and soil erosion are all problems.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.