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These articles are the latest published in the journal. Australian Mammalogy is published under a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 28 July 2025

AM24028Environmental variables that influence platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) eDNA detection: an insight into eDNA study design for platypus occupation

Breony Webb , Nakia Belmer and Adrian Dickson

 

Understanding platypus distribution in challenging environments is crucial but difficult owing to their elusive nature and inaccessible habitats. We leveraged environmental DNA technology to detect platypuses across diverse conditions in Kosciuszko National Park, showing that eDNA can uncover platypuses in new high-altitude locations and is influenced by altitude, stream order, and seasonality. These findings highlight the potential of eDNA to improve wildlife monitoring, and underscore the need for refining eDNA survey designs to enhance viability and interpretation across different environmental variables.

This article belongs to the collection: Recent research on the platypus.

AM24028 Abstract  |  AM24028 Full Text  | AM24028PDF (3.3 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 25 July 2025

AM25009First evidence of aggressive interactions by native rakali towards invasive black rats

Jenna P. Bytheway , Margarita Goumas and Peter B. Banks

 

We document the first recorded evidence of a native rakali ambushing an invasive black rat in the natural environment. This observation offers unique evidence suggesting that rakali may be competitively dominant over invasive black rats. This finding provides ecological justification for the conservation and promotion of rakali as a potential natural predator of black rats as part of broader ecological restoration strategies building biotic resistance from native species. Video images by Margarita Goumas.

AM25009 Abstract  |  AM25009 Full Text  | AM25009PDF (1.5 MB)  | AM25009Supplementary Material (30.4 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 24 July 2025

AM25002Predation of the northern quoll by the Pilbara olive python

Ryan J. Ellis, Christopher G. Knuckey, Judy Dunlop and Georgeanna Story

 

Predator–prey interactions are important in defining ecological food webs. Predation of northern quoll by Pilbara olive python is reported herein, two threatened native predators.

AM25002 Abstract  | PDF (736 KB) - $35.00 

Published online 18 July 2025

AM25013Local high concentration of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) observed during lambing in northern New South Wales, Australia

Deane A. Smith, Thomas Coldham and Paul D. Meek

 

Red foxes are a major predator of livestock and wildlife in Australia, yet their local behaviour during key farming events is not well understood. We documented an unusually high number of foxes – 21 in 1 h – drawn to a lambing event in northern New South Wales, with more appearing over the following days. This highlights how strongly foxes respond to lambing, with important implications for predator control and livestock protection during vulnerable periods.

AM25013 Abstract  |  AM25013 Full Text  | AM25013PDF (1.5 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 18 July 2025

AM24046The great divide: population comparison using 3D and 2D geometric morphometrics of Petaurus breviceps and Petaurus notatus along Australia’s eastern Great Dividing Range

Meagan Powley and Katarina M Mikac

 

The study examined skull size and shape of ‘sugar gliders’ (Petaurus breviceps and Petaurus notatus) to clarify their distribution in Australia. Significant differences were found between populations east, mid and west of the Great Dividing Range (GDR) in New South Wales. P. breviceps was absent from its previously described GDR range, being restricted to the eastern coastal zone south of the Brisbane Valley Barrier (BVB).

AM24046 Abstract  |  AM24046 Full Text  | AM24046PDF (1.9 MB)  | AM24046Supplementary Material (282 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 14 July 2025

AM25006Home range and activity areas of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in urban and peri-urban areas

Graham G. Thompson, Philip C. Withers, Jacob D. Berson and Scott A. Thompson

 

This paper describes a new method of calculating the activity area of foxes based on a 5-day sliding window over a minimum period of 10 days that attempts to avoid overestimating the area of occupancy by using the area-corrected autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE_c) method.

AM25006 Abstract  | PDF (4.5 MB) - $35.00   | AM25006Supplementary Material (7 MB)

Published online 10 July 2025

AM25014The first confirmed grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) roost in western New South Wales, Australia

Matthew Mo , Troy Witte, Trevor Bauer, Ray Dayman, Leila Brook, Jason Van Weenen and Sandra Guy

 

The grey-headed flying-fox typically occurs in temperate and subtropical regions of eastern and south-eastern Australia. We report an unusual account of grey-headed flying-foxes sustaining a roost in a semi-arid region of western New South Wales. Photographs by Matthew Mo and Trevor Bauer.

AM25014 Abstract  |  AM25014 Full Text  | AM25014PDF (6.9 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 08 July 2025

AM25001Notes on the fungal diets of four Antechinus species from south-eastern Australia

Conor Nest , Todd F. Elliott and Karl Vernes

 

Fungal consumers play an important role in maintaining ecosystem health by dispersing mycorrhizal fungi, which forms symbiotic relationships with plants. Fungal dispersal is poorly understood within the Dasyuridae, with only 7 of the 61 Australian species identified as fungal consumers. This study provides the first evidence of fungal consumption by swamp antechinus (A. minimus) and mainland dusky antechinus (A. mimetes), and it is likely that there are many other dasyurids which disperse fungi. Photograph by Conor Nest.

AM25001 Abstract  |  AM25001 Full Text  | AM25001PDF (791 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 08 July 2025

AM24042Weathering Kangaroo Island’s extremes: insights into captures, health, and diet of introduced platypuses in the Rocky River

Tahneal Hawke, Gilad Bino, Paris Hughes, Alice Hunter, Guido Parra Vergara, Jessica Clayton, Robert Ellis and Ryan Baring

 

The introduced platypus population on Kangaroo Island offers a rare opportunity to examine resilience under extreme environmental pressures. Our study found lower capture rates than those two decades ago, along with shifts in diet composition and physiological markers following recent drought, bushfires, and floods. Although evidence of ongoing reproduction suggests persistence, these findings highlight both the vulnerability and adaptability of this isolated population, providing important insights to guide conservation efforts for freshwater species in increasingly variable environments.

This article belongs to the collection: Recent research on the platypus.

AM24042 Abstract  |  AM24042 Full Text  | AM24042PDF (2.5 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 04 July 2025

AM24047Recent roosting of little red flying-foxes (Pteropus scapulatus, Pteropodidae) at two sites in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia

Matthew Mo , Kylie Coutts-McClelland, Trista Kyriacou, Janine Davies, Gerardine Hawkins, Samara Wehmeyer, Lorraine Oliver, Samantha H. Yabsley, Jessica Meade and Justin A. Welbergen

 

Little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) colonies were recently observed in two locations on the South Coast of the New South Wales, a region in which roosting by this species is rarely observed. The colonies persisted for at least 25 days and comprised thousands of individuals. Photograph by Matthew Mo.

AM24047 Abstract  |  AM24047 Full Text  | AM24047PDF (2.4 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 03 July 2025

AM25018Most-northern record of parma wallaby (Notamacropus parma)

Paul D. Meek, Lucy Collingridge, Jakub Juszczak, Elly Gooch and Peter J. S. Fleming

 

We describe a new northern record of the parma wallaby (Notamacropus parma) captured during a free-ranging dog trapping and collaring program in northern New South Wales, Australia.

AM25018 Abstract  |  AM25018 Full Text  | AM25018PDF (1.6 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 30 June 2025

AM24054Assessing the detectability of a cryptic arboreal marsupial by using a novel survey approach

Cassie Thompson , Leroy Gonsalves, Brad Law and Peter B. Banks

 

Cryptic and declining species can be difficult to detect. We investigated detectability for the cryptic eastern pygmy possum by using wildlife cameras in novel ways. Focusing cameras on flowering banksia effectively detected the species and improved capture rates when compared with typical survey methods or focusing cameras on nest boxes. Cameras may offer a low-cost alternative to standard techniques for cryptic and hard to detect species and improve detection probability by supplementing existing survey approaches. Photograph by Cassie Thompson.

AM24054 Abstract  |  AM24054 Full Text  | AM24054PDF (3.1 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 27 June 2025

AM24034Patterns of breeding in the parma wallaby revealed by camera trapping in northern New South Wales and insights for post-wildfire recovery

Ross L. Goldingay

 

I describe the breeding pattern of the parma wallaby on the New England Tableland in northern New South Wales. Remote cameras that operated continuously over a 17-month period produced frequent detections of parma wallabies at 17 sites. Camera images produced evidence that suggested that 45 separate breeding events were documented. Photograph by R. Goldingay.

AM24034 Abstract  | PDF (2.1 MB) - $35.00 

Published online 13 June 2025

AM25007Records of attempts to locate the kultarr, Antechinomys laniger (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

Anthony Valente

 

The elusive kultarr was hunted across three states, namely New South Wales (NSW), Queensland and Western Australia from 1979 to 1982, so that its biology could be studied in greater depth in the laboratory. Although sighted in NSW, none was caught in NSW or Queensland, but enough individuals were captured in Western Australia to establish a laboratory colony. The scarcity of kultarrs in the field ties in with past surveys, which have indicated that their numbers can vary greatly over its range and over time.

AM25007 Abstract  |  AM25007 Full Text  | AM25007PDF (786 KB)

Published online 05 June 2025

AM25008Two recently identified photographs of living Nullarbor barred bandicoot (Perameles papillon) prior to extinction

Rohan Long

 

Sometime after the 1930s, the Nullarbor barred bandicoot went extinct. Two photographs of living Nullarbor barred bandicoots have been found in University of Melbourne’s anatomy collections, discovered by chance in a basement storeroom. Apart from a glass slide held by the South Australian Museum, these are the only known photographs of this species as a living animal. Australia has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world and photographs such as this are increasingly being recognised for their scientific and cultural importance. Photograph by Gavan Mitchell.

AM25008 Abstract  |  AM25008 Full Text  | AM25008PDF (1.7 MB)   Open Access Article

More content

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

AM24052, Accepted 26 July 2025

Taxonomic tangles posed by human association - the urgent need for an evidence-based review of dingo and domestic dog taxonomy and nomenclature

Kylie Cairns , Mike Letnic, Euan Ritchie, Justin Adams, Mathew Crowther , Christopher Dickman , Melanie Fillios, Jack Pascoe, Bradley Smith and Thomas Newsome

 

AM24052Abstract

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1. Two recently identified photographs of living Nullarbor barred bandicoot (Perameles papillon) prior to extinction

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

   Rohan Long

2. Patterns of activity and travel by koalas in a disturbed urban landscape in Queensland

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

   Philippa Kirsten Tacla, Benjamin James Barth, Sean Ian FitzGibbon, Amber Kristen Gillett, William Anthony Ellis

3. A population viability analysis of K’gari (Fraser Island) wongari (dingoes)

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   Robert Appleby, Bradley P. Smith , Darryl Jones, Gabriel Conroy, Linda Behrendorff

4. Thermal drones are highly effective for detecting elusive Bennett’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus bennettianus) in Australia’s tropical rainforests

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   Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris, Johan Larson

5. Does tree hollow volume influence use by small arboreal mammals?

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   William Terry, Ross L. Goldingay

6. Assessing the detectability of a cryptic arboreal marsupial by using a novel survey approach

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7. A comparison of field and genetic methods for identifying feral cat predation events during wildlife translocations

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   Ned L. Ryan-Schofield , Hannah L. Bannister, Alexandra Ross, Katherine E. Moseby

8. Drone surveys cause less disturbance than ground-based surveys in endangered spectacled flying-foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus)

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   Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris

9. Field Anaesthesia for Platypuses: a proven method and the case for non-veterinarian accreditation pathways

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10. The first confirmed grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) roost in western New South Wales, Australia

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11. Factors contributing directly to platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) mortality and implications for conserving populations in the wild

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    Melody Serena, Geoff A. Williams, Jessica L. Thomas

12. Platypus fyke-netting methods: a review of recommended field protocols and options for assessing population abundance

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    Melody Serena, Geoff A. Williams, Chris Bloink, Dana Dekkers

13. Recent roosting of little red flying-foxes (Pteropus scapulatus, Pteropodidae) at two sites in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia

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    Matthew Mo , Kylie Coutts-McClelland, Trista Kyriacou, Janine Davies, Gerardine Hawkins, Samara Wehmeyer, Lorraine Oliver, Samantha H. Yabsley, Jessica Meade, Justin A. Welbergen

14. Rediscovery of the holotype of Petaurus notatus Peters 1859 (Petauridae; Marsupialia) and clarification of the type locality

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15. Records of attempts to locate the kultarr, Antechinomys laniger (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

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16. Age determination in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) using spur sheath and spur developmental stages: a review

    Australian Mammalogy 46 (3)

    Tom Grant, Melody Serena, Geoff A. Williams, Peter Temple-Smith

17. Identification and characteristics of refuges for the threatened swamp antechinus (Antechinus minimus maritimus) under climate change; targeted surveys across the Otway Ranges, south-east Australia

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    Barbara A. Wilson, Kristen Agosta, Mark J. Garkaklis, Jemma K. Cripps, Marissa L. Parrott, Raylene Cooke, John G. White

18. Detection of rabbit and wombat warrens in broad-scale satellite imagery

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19. Weathering Kangaroo Island’s extremes: insights into captures, health, and diet of introduced platypuses in the Rocky River

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

    Tahneal Hawke, Gilad Bino, Paris Hughes, Alice Hunter, Guido Parra Vergara, Jessica Clayton, Robert Ellis, Ryan Baring

20. Diurnal activity budget of the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) in captivity

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Hayley J. Stannard , Lisa M. Goodchild, Julie M. Old

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