Kowari Dasyuroides byrnei

The Kowari, also called Brush-tailed Marsupial Rat, is a nocturnal marsupial native to deserts of east-central Australia.

Although it looks like a rat with a thick tail ending in a black brush, it is related to mulgaras (also rat-like) and to quolls/possums. It gets the moisture it needs from its diet of insects, spiders and other small prey.

Populations have declined substantially and are classed as vulnerable with threats including further habitat fragmentation/degradation/loss (livestock farming and construction materials), predation by invasive feral cats/foxes and climate change.