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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 30 September 2025

AM25029Feasibility of nocturnal thermal drone surveys for detecting endangered mahogany gliders (Petaurus gracilis) in tropical lowland woodlands

Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris , Yiyin Chang, Stephen Jackson and Conrad J. Hoskin

 

Detecting nocturnal, canopy-dwelling mammals can be difficult when using conventional survey methods like spotlighting or camera traps. In this single-night feasibility study, we tested the use of thermal drones to detect endangered mahogany gliders in north Queensland, Australia. The method was highly effective under specific flight conditions, detecting six gliders in less than 2 h without eliciting a disturbance response. These findings suggest thermal drones can rapidly and non-invasively confirm glider presence, but further validation is needed. Thermal video stills by Emmeline Norris

AM25029 Abstract  |  AM25029 Full Text  | AM25029PDF (6.1 MB)  | AM25029Supplementary Material (172 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 19 September 2025

AM25023The marsupial nasal system: a review of its structure, function, and evolutionary significance, with a focus on wombats

Julie M. Old , Amelia M. Dege, Niamh Le Breton, Kaya H. Sheehan and Layla Yaghi

 

The nose or snout is crucial to the survival of mammals. We review the function of the mammalian nose and use wombats as a specific example to identify gaps in our knowledge of the marsupial snout and its function.

AM25023 Abstract  | PDF (1.3 MB) - $35.00 

Published online 12 September 2025

AM25031Editorial: recent research on the platypus

Jessica Thomas and Peter Temple-Smith

 

AM25031 Full Text  | AM25031PDF (909 KB)

Published online 21 August 2025

AM24052Taxonomic tangles posed by human association – the urgent need for an evidence-based review of dingo and domestic dog taxonomy and nomenclature

Kylie M. Cairns , Mike Letnic, Euan G. Ritchie, Justin W. Adams, Mathew S. Crowther , Christopher R. Dickman , Melanie Fillios, Jack Pascoe, Bradley P. Smith and Thomas M. Newsome

 

The naming and species status of dingoes is hotly debated and has serious policy implications. We outline recent advances in our knowledge of the distinctiveness of dingoes from domestic dogs, highlighting how dingoes are on a different evolutionary path. Resolving debate about the status and name of dingoes will likely require an independent review by a scientific organisation with broad community consultation, similar to the review carried out for Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) and red wolves (Canis rufus).

AM24052 Abstract  |  AM24052 Full Text  | AM24052PDF (1.2 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 21 August 2025

AM25028The bold and the biased: the influence of behaviour on capture probability in woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi)

Natasha D. Harrison

 

Behaviour-driven capture biases (where consistent differences in behaviour among individuals affect their probability of being captured) have the potential to confound studies of animal behaviour and population ecology. This study explicitly tests whether there is any correlation between agitation behaviour and capture probability in wild woylies, finding no evidence for an effect. This finding suggests that studies of woylies using live trapping are unlikely to be confounded by behaviour-driven sampling biases arising from this particular trait.

AM25028 Abstract  |  AM25028 Full Text  | AM25028PDF (984 KB)  | AM25028Supplementary Material (132 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 15 August 2025

AM25025Whisker morphology and distribution in wombats: a comparative anatomical study

Julie M. Old , Kaya H. Sheehan, Niamh Le Breton, Amelia M. Dege and Layla Yaghi

 

Whiskers can provide information regarding species behaviour. We compared the whiskers of bare-nosed (Vombatus ursinus) and southern hairy-nosed (Lasiorhinus latifrons) wombats. Based on our findings, it is likely southern hairy-nosed wombats are more reliant on their whiskers for somatosensory information collection than bare-nosed wombats.

AM25025 Abstract  | PDF (1.1 MB) - $35.00   | AM25025Supplementary Material (76 KB)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (3)

   Kylie M. Cairns , Mike Letnic, Euan G. Ritchie, Justin W. Adams, Mathew S. Crowther , Christopher R. Dickman , Melanie Fillios, Jack Pascoe, Bradley P. Smith , Thomas M. Newsome

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. First evidence of aggressive interactions by native rakali towards invasive black rats

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

   Breony Webb , Nakia Belmer, Adrian Dickson

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

10. Notes on the fungal diets of four Antechinus species from south-eastern Australia

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

    Conor Nest , Todd F. Elliott , Karl Vernes

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris, Johan Larson

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

    Meagan Powley , Katarina M Mikac

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

    Rohan Long

15. 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

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

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

17. Most-northern record of parma wallaby (Notamacropus parma)

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

18. The bold and the biased: the influence of behaviour on capture probability in woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi)

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (3)

    Natasha D. Harrison

19. 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

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

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

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