Late Pleistocene to Holocene mammal faunal change on a small Landbridge Island in Bass Strait, South-Eastern Australia, and its implications for future reintroductions

Abstract We examined a zooarchaeological assemblage from Badger Island, a 12.4 km 2 landbridge island in the Furneaux Group, Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia. The accumulation consisted of Pleistocene and Holocene strata that were rich in mammal remains. Small mammal remains were accumulated by owls, whereas large mammal remains were accumulated by people and/or autochthonous mortality. The Pleistocene fauna was dominated by grassland mammals, particularly Mastacomys fuscus (Broad-toothed Rat), but these gradually declined and were largely replaced by forest–woodland dwelling mammals in the Holocene. The same pattern of faunal change has been observed on the large main island of Tasmania (∼65,000 km 2 ), suggesting changes observed at Beeton Rockshelter are representative of the region. Because all of the Furneaux Group Islands were united as one landmass in the past, the fossil fauna observed in Beeton Rockshelter is relevant to conservation-oriented mammal-restoration initiatives, which are being considered throughout the entire Furneaux Group.