Seasonal Movement Patterns of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo in Southern Queensland

Abstract

A 2-y study was made of seasonal movement patterns of the eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus Shaw, in the Warwick district of south-eastern, and the Bollon district of south-western, Queensland. Faecal pellet counts were used to obtain indices of kangaroo usage of cleared country adjacent to cover. Kangaroos were sensitive to changes in forage status, particularly pasture phenology. As quality and quantity of forage reserves declined, animals made progressively greater use of cleared areas. This resulted in marked seasonal changes in distribution patterns. Of the variables quantified (rainfall, soil moisture storage and pasture growth), rainfall provided the best correlations with kangaroo usage of cleared country, explaining 55% (P = 0.002) of the variation in distribution at Warwick and 91% (P = 0.001) of that at Bollon.