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Bandicoots thrive in Mandurah study

A Murdoch University study had identified quendas as an important peices for the Mandurah environment.

Research into the habits of southern brown bandicoot in Mandurah has returned positive data, according to Murdoch University.

University associate professor Trish Fleming said research proved digging mammal species, including bandicoots, had been lost from the Australian landscape over the past 200 years and about half of the population were now extinct or under conservation threat.

She said the research into quendas, or southern brown bandicoots, returned positive results suggesting the small animal enjoyed the suburban lifestyle.

"We have surveyed more than 100 of the City's reserves and discovered they're living practically at your backdoor," Dr Fleming said.

"In the study, we've assessed how much they dig and discovered they displace more than 3 cubic metres of soil a year.

"They are nocturnal, eat insects and are foraging for fruiting bodies of fungi - the holes average 10 to 20cm deep and are conical in shape, mirroring the shape of the quenda's nose."

A review into Murdoch's research found the digging animals significantly altered soil processes.

It stated diggings captured organic matter, provided habitat for a diversity of microscopic and macroscopic organisms and increased nutrient cycling.

Mayor Marina Vergone said the research had the potential to change the way the City approached vegetation, including tree-planting days.