K is for Kuluwarri

Kuluwarri or Lake Mackay hare-wallaby
Lagorchestes asomatus

Where it lived: in the sand plains and dunes of Australian deserts in the Northern Territory and Western Australia

Last seen in: The 1950s. According to IUCN assessments, older western desert Aboriginal people said that the species disappeared between 1940 and 1960.

Declared extinct by IUCN in: 1982

Extinction causes:

  • Predation by introduced feral cats and red foxes

  • Changed fire regimes after Aboriginal people moved to settlements

This animal was known by different names across Australia’s western deserts—most commonly as the “kuluwarri” though desert Aboriginal people sometimes nicknamed it the “quiet one” or the “deaf one.” It lived on sandplains and dunes among the spinifex plants, a kind of native grass, and hopped like kangaroos and other wallabies. Despite extensive searches, it has not been seen since the mid-20th century.