Western Australia has a range of unusual native animals, encompassing a variety of common and threatened mammals, birds and reptiles. The aim of these species profiles is to provide information about some of the species that are being protected throughout Western Australia and the range of strategies that have been developed to protect them against feral predators and other threats. This information is directed towards community groups, schools, universities and other teaching institutions.

The profiles (listed in the right-hand column) provide information on 19 marsupial, 6 rodent, 5 reptile, 2 bird and 1 monotreme species, and will help people to identify species, which in turn could help us to locate populations that were previously unknown. A greater awareness and understanding of each species and its needs will help the community to understand and, hopefully, lessen the impact of human activities on the species.

Each profile—produced as a joint collaboration between the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University—has a photograph of the species and provides information about its size, weight, physical features, common names, historic and current distribution, Habitat, behaviour, diet, breeding patterns, Threatening Processes, current management and other interesting facts and relevant references. In addition, each species profile, ties in with the department's Western Shield initiative, and enables you to locate other information on NatureBase or on other relevant external sites.

The conservation status of each species is current to July 2002, but the status of these animals is expected to change with the downlisting of species that recover from their threatened status. These changes are a result of the Department of Conservation and Land Management's management actions under the Western Shield program. The distribution maps for some species have been reprinted with acknowledgement from N.L. McKenzie, A.A. Burbidge, A. Baynes and many other contributors. Clarification of text has been made with the assistance of A.A. Burbidge, P. Mawson, K.D. Morris, and P. Orell.