Latest

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 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

Published online 29 May 2025

AM23047Investigation of free-living highland wild dogs near Grasberg Gold Mine, Papua Province, Indonesia

James K. McIntyre, Caitlin J. Curry , Lisa L. Wolf, Hendra K. Maury , Leonardo A. Numberi , Suriani Surbakti and Brian W. Davis

 

We describe our expedition to the Grasberg mine to observe, sample, and track New Guinea highland wild dogs. We have described methods, observations, behaviour, and tracking success.

AM23047 Abstract  | PDF (3.2 MB) - $35.00   | AM23047Supplementary Material (1.8 MB)

Published online 20 May 2025

AM24037Movements and burrow use of newly emerged juvenile and adult female platypuses

Max Boulton, Jessica Thomas, Gilad Bino, Jessica Clayton, Guido J. Parra and Ryan Baring

 

Little is known about the social interactions of platypuses. We found that juveniles have larger total home ranges and burrow ranges than do adults. Juvenile–adult dyads also demonstrated the greatest home-range overlap.

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

AM24037 Abstract  | PDF (2.8 MB) - $35.00   | AM24037Supplementary Material (407 KB)

Published online 16 May 2025

AM24051Insights into patterns of co-existence in urban reserves: home-range size, movement and habitat use of two co-occurring congeneric gliding marsupials

Christopher M. McLean, Jed Field, Chad T. Beranek and Matthew C. Hingee

 

In urban bushland, individual sugar and squirrel gliders were tracked to determine where they went, including where they slept during the day and where they foraged at night. We found that a wide range of different trees were used and that animals traversed several hectares. The results allow for an understanding of how these species can persist in urban bushland. Photograph by Chris McLean.

AM24051 Abstract  | PDF (5.5 MB) - $35.00 

Published online 12 May 2025

AM24035Behavioural responses of platypuses to desedimentation works in the Blue Lake at Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales, with notes on the relationship between platypus occurrence and habitat variables in nearby streams

Anne Musser , Eren Turak and Tom Grant

 

Excavation or other works in and around streams can adversely affect platypus resting and nesting burrows, along with their bottom-dwelling invertebrate food species. Such works, to remove flood-deposited material from the iconic Blue Lake at Jenolan Caves, were monitored in our study. Platypuses showed site affinity, leaving the area during the works but returning once they had finished. Modelling studies showed the importance of coarse bottom substrates (cobbles and pebbles) in maintaining platypus macroinvertebrate prey communities. Photograph by Anne Musser.

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

AM24035 Abstract  | PDF (3.4 MB) - $35.00   | AM24035Supplementary Material (2246582 KB)

Published online 06 May 2025

AM24049A modern stocktake of ‘a not-so-common possum’: recent and unpublished records of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in arid north-west Western Australia

Hannah Anderson, Judy Dunlop , Jeff Turpin, Mike Bamford, Christopher George Knuckey, Morgan O’Connell, Glen Gaikhorst, Melissa A. Jensen, Alicia Whittington and Russell Palmer

 

The common brushtail possum is a medium-sized marsupial that was formerly widespread across Australia, but has suffered extensive declines in its range and population size, with a significant loss in semi-arid/arid areas. Despite this, the species still exists in the semi-arid Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA). Here, we report on modern and unpublished records of brushtail possums in north-west WA, focusing on the Pilbara region. We uncovered new unpublished records of the species, which shows them persisting on mainland semi-arid/arid WA.

AM24049 Abstract  | PDF (2.2 MB) - $35.00   | AM24049Supplementary Material (547 KB)

Published online 05 May 2025

AM24043Rediscovery of the holotype of Petaurus notatus Peters 1859 (Petauridae; Marsupialia) and clarification of the type locality

Peter Menkhorst and Tim Stranks

 

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) has been shown to comprise three species. Petaurus notatus was identified as the available name for one of the newly circumscribed species. The type specimen of Petaurus notatus had been considered lost, and a neotype defined. We found the holotype in Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, and provide photographs and a descriptionof the specimen. The neotype should now be set aside. Precise details of the type locality are provided.

AM24043 Abstract  |  AM24043 Full Text  | AM24043PDF (1.8 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.

AM25009, Accepted 09 July 2025

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

Jenna Bytheway , Margarita Goumas and Peter Banks

 

AM25009Abstract

AM25013, Accepted 09 July 2025

Local high concentration of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) observed during lambing in Northern NSW

Deane Smith, Thomas Coldham and Paul Meek

 

AM25013Abstract

AM25002, Accepted 06 July 2025

Predation of the northern quoll by the Pilbara olive python

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

 

AM25002Abstract

AM24046, Accepted 28 June 2025

The 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 Mikac

 

AM24046Abstract

AM24028, Accepted 24 June 2025

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

Breony Webb , Nakia Belmer and Adrian Dickson

 

AM24028Abstract

AM25006, Accepted 18 June 2025

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

Graham Thompson, Philip Withers, Jacob Berson and Scott Thompson

 

AM25006Abstract

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1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

   Rohan Long

5. 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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

   William Terry, Ross L. Goldingay

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

   Emmeline Bernadette Barrett Norris

8. 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

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

   Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

   Peter Menkhorst, Tim Stranks

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Gilad Bino, Tahneal Hawke

11. 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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

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

12. 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

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

    Australian Mammalogy 46 (3)

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

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Natarsha McPherson , Bertram Ostendorf

15. 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

16. 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

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

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

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

18. Social affiliation among sub-adult male koalas in a high-density population

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    Darcy J. Watchorn

19. Insights into patterns of co-existence in urban reserves: home-range size, movement and habitat use of two co-occurring congeneric gliding marsupials

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (2)

    Christopher M. McLean, Jed Field, Chad T. Beranek , Matthew C. Hingee

20. Mammal craniodental remains in owl pellets provide new tooth row measurements for the threatened Julia Creek dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi)

    Australian Mammalogy 47 (1)

    A. M. Baker, C. L. Charley , D. Lockhart, E. L. Gray

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