User:Anthonydimauro/sandbox

From Wikipedia article Section NHNW: Behavior Original:

Its habitat has become infested with African buffel grass, which outcompetes the native grasses on which the wombat prefers to feed.

Edited:

The Northern hairy-nosed wombat's habitat has become infested with African buffel grass, a grass species introduced for cattle grazing. African buffle grass outcompetes the more nutritional and native grasses on which the wombat prefers to feed by limiting its quantity, forcing the wombat to travel further to find the native grasses it prefers, and leading to a reduction in biomass.

CC:

As an invasive species section: ADD

The grass has also been attributed to the decline in native grass species fed on by the critically endangered Northern hairy-nosed wombat and a has been sited as a factor in the wombats decline.

- Conservation:

Threats to the northern hairy-nosed wombat include small population size, predation, competition for food, disease, floods, droughts, wildfires, and habitat loss. Its small, highly localised population makes the species especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Wild dogs are the wombat's primary predator. The habitat at Epping Forest National Park is now well-protected for better chances of survival. '''Other natural predators consist of dingoes and Tasmanian Devils. Smaller wombats are vulnerable to other predators such as eagles, owls, and Eastern quolls. Humans are also a major threat to this species, due to crossing roads and being killed by motor vehicles, hunters, traps, and poisonings.'''

Due to these threats, the northern hairy-nosed wombat is listed as "endangered" by the Australian Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT),[13] and "critically endangered" by the IUCN.[2] Its range is restricted to about 300 ha (750 acres) of the Epping National Forest in east-central Queensland, 120 km northwest of Clermont.

To combat the vulnerability of this species, a number of conservation projects have been put into action over recent years. One example was the construction of a two-metre-high, predator-proof fence around 25 km2 of the park in 2000. A second population of wombats has been established at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge at Yarran Downs near St. George in southern Queensland.[14] This second population was established in 2008 and is also in a reserve surrounded by a predator-proof fence.[14] Within Epping Forest National Park, increased attention and funds have been given for wombat research and population monitoring, fire management, maintenance of the predator-proof fence, general management, and control of predators and competitors, and elimination of invasive plant species.[15] In addition, the species recovery plan of 2004 to 2008 included communication and community involvement in saving the species and worked to increase the current population in the wild, established other populations within the wombat's historical range, and worked with zoos to establish a captive husbandry program. Also, a volunteer caretaker program allows volunteers to contribute in monitoring the population and keeping the predator fence in good repair. Finally, DNA fingerprint identification of wombat hairs allows research to be conducted without an invasive trapping or radio-tracking program.[16] Due to the combined efforts of these forces, the northern hairy-nosed wombat population is slowly making a comeback.[17]

Behaviour
The northern hairy-nosed wombat is nocturnal, living underground in networks of burrows. They avoid coming above ground during harsh weather, as their burrows maintain a constant humidity and temperature. They have been known to share burrows with up to 10 individuals, equally divided by sex. Young are usually born during the wet season, between November and April. When rain is abundant, 50-80% of the females in the population will breed, giving birth to one offspring at a time. Juveniles stay in their mothers' pouches for 8 to 9 months, and are weaned at 12 months of age.

The burrows dug by the wombats are an '''important skill for the wombats survival. Burrows can be up to 100-200 meters long and have multiple entrances. To begin digging, they use their long durable claws to pass dirt beneath them to their feet and then kick it behind themselves. They can also turn around and bulldoze it out of the way, creating the start of a tunnel. Once a tunnel is deep enough, they mark their entrances with scratch marks and their urine. Once deep enough, other interconnecting tunnels are made. Wombats can then live their year-round and escape dangerous weather conditions. The deeper the burrows are made the more stable they tend to be. For example, on hot days well over 100 °F, burrows can maintain a temperature in the low 80s. Likewise, in the winter when temperatures are roughly 30 °F, burrows can maintain a temperature of 50 °F. The architectural skills wombats have are essential to maintaining their low population.'''

The fat reserves and low metabolic rate of this species permit northern hairy-nosed wombats to go without food for several days when food is scarce. Even when they do feed every day, it is only for 6 hours a day in the winter and 2 hours in the summer, significantly less than a similar-sized kangaroo, which feeds for at least 18 hours a day. Their diet consists of native grasses: black speargrass (Heteropogon contortus), bottle washer grasses (Enneapogon spp.), golden beard grass (Chrysopogon fallax), and three-awned grass(Aristida spp.), as well as various types of roots. The teeth continue to grow beyond the juvenile period, and are worn down by the abrasive grasses they eat.[citation needed]. '''Their 24 teeth are similar to those of rodents, having only enamel on the outward surface. This results in the backside of their teeth to be softer. As the backside wears down, they sharpen which is beneficial for chewing tough fibrous plants. ''' Its habitat has become infested with African buffel grass, which outcompetes the native grasses on which the wombat prefers to feed.

'''Wombats are known to be very aggressive and dangerous when approached. While they are very small, their densely packed bodies provide amount of strength. Normally when hunted by predators, the wombat will attack back and hiss rather than run and hide. Teeth are flared and their heads are usually swayed prior to a fight. Their ability to run up to 25 mph is surely a beneficial trait for avoiding predators.'''

Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat

http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/northern-hairy-nosed-wombat

The feeding ecology of the northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii (Marsupialia: Vombatidae)

https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/27494/

Rapid evaluation of pasture quality for a critically endangered mammal, the northern hairy-nosed wombat (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William_Foley3/publication/251755674_Rapid_evaluation_of_pasture_quality_for_a_critically_endangered_mammal_the_northern_hairy-nosed_wombat_Lasiorhinus_krefftii/links/0deec53bd2e68684d4000000/Rapid-evaluation-of-pasture-quality-for-a-critically-endangered-mammal-the-northern-hairy-nosed-wombat-Lasiorhinus-krefftii.pdf)

Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) as an invader and threat to biodiversity in arid environments: A review

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196311003399

SPRAT Profile Lasiorhinua Krefftii

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=198

= Article Evaluation: =
 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you? The article discusses the total amount of mammals found in the New England Area and briefly mentions the traditional climates that enables them to survive. Then, individually, the article discusses the animals and where in New England they are commonly found.
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? The article topic does not have sides. Therefore it remains neutral and simply presents the facts only.
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? The article does not get into the abundance of each mammal found in New England. This would be a valuable piece of data to incorporate. By looking at some species through different sources, some are endangered/highly threatened.
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article? After checking a few citations, I was directly brought to a page that i intended to be on.
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added? Missing information could be added about the abundance of the individual species listed. Some species may have already gone extinct since this article was originally published.
 * Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?