Wildlife road-kills on three major roads in north-eastern New South Wales

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan D. Taylor ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Road Kill ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Survey Technique

Although vehicle-induced mortality of wildlife is well known on roads throughout Australia, few empirical studies describe the extent of this mortality or assess the potential effects on wildlife populations. We recorded 529 roadkills of 53 vertebrate species along a 100-km circuit of three major roads during 20 weekly surveys across winter, spring and summer. This equates to 0.3 road-kills km–1 week–1 or one road-kill every 3.8 km week–1. The most frequently killed native species were the northern brown bandicoot (4 per week), the mountain brushtail possum (2 per week) and the Australian magpie (2 per week). These values are underestimates because our survey technique could not detect all road-kills and ~40% of those left on the roadside disappeared within 7�days. Detailed study of the local population of the brown bandicoot is needed to determine whether such a level of road mortality is sustainable.A logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether any of 10 road and landscape attributes were closely associated with the presence of specific groups of road-kills. Bandicoots were not associated with any measured attributes. Possums were more likely to occur along roads on mid-slopes and ridge-tops. Magpies were associated with roads on ridge-tops. Canopy-dwelling birds were more likely to be killed on 3-lane roads surrounded by dense vegetation.Road-kill surveys such as this are needed to identify species for which road mortality is unsustainable, to determine the influence on threatened species, and to identify important crossing points where road-kills are high. The frequency of road-kill of many ground-dwelling or arboreal mammal species in this study highlights the importance of impact mitigation by road authorities.

Use of fauna road-crossing structures in north-eastern New South Wales

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian F. Hayes ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
Road Kill ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Crossing Structures ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Level Of Use ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
High Level

The vast network of roads around the world has had a significant effect on wildlife and ecosystems through habitat fragmentation, reduced dispersal and mortality by collision with vehicles. Road agencies worldwide now frequently install dedicated structures to facilitate the safe crossing of roads by wildlife. We conducted surveys to determine the use of dedicated wildlife overpasses and nearby underpasses at two locations on the Pacific Highway in north-eastern New South Wales. Road-kill surveys were conducted to provide some understanding of the species commonly killed and whether the rate of road-kill was lower at one location where crossing-structures were located. Use of the crossing-structures by wildlife was monitored with sand-transects. The most frequent users were macropods, bandicoots and rodents. Macropods made greater use of overpasses (n = 104 tracks) than underpasses (n = 36), whereas underpasses were used more by bandicoots (n = 87) and rodents (n = 82) than were overpasses (n = 28, n = 15, respectively). We identified 78 road-kills of 21 species on two sections of the Pacific Highway over a 7-week period. Bandicoots (n = 16) and macropods (n = 9) were the most frequently observed victims. The mortality of wildlife was lower along the highway section with the crossing-structures (0.04 road-kills km–1) than it was along the highway section without structures (0.15 road-kills km–1). The lack of replication precludes any firm conclusion that the crossing-structures reduced road mortality but the high level of use of the crossing-structures by species that were common victims of road-kill suggests an influence.

Powerline Easements: Do They Promote Edge Effects in Eucalypt Forest for Small Mammals?

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Robert J. Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Edge Effects ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Hair Sampling ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii

The distribution and abundance of small terrestrial mammals were assessed in forest adjacent to powerline easements at three different sites in New South Wales. At each site, four transects of 300 m length extended into the forest from the edge of the easement. The abundances of two native species (Antechinus stuartii, Rattus fuscipes) did not differ significantly with distance from the easement but abundances differed markedly among sites. Mammals were captured in only one easement where dense vegetation was present. Feral carnivores, which may mediate edge effects on small mammals, were surveyed by using hair-sampling tubes. Cats and dogs were detected only 50–200 m inside the forest. Foxes were not detected by hair-tubes but were observed on two easements. These results suggest that powerline easements may not create edge effects in eucalypt forest for some native mammal species, although further studies are needed to determine the generality of this conclusion. We recommend that easement management should be more benign to native mammals, given the ubiquity of this form of habitat fragmentation. Promotion of dense vegetative cover and habitat linkages within easements could achieve this.

Temporal activity patterns of the swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus) and other rodents in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Meek ◽  
Frances Zewe ◽  
Greg Falzon
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Time Partitioning ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes ◽  
Small Mammal Species

The activity patterns and partitioning of time by four small mammal species, with a focus on the swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus) in north-eastern New South Wales, was investigated using camera trap data from two studies. Analysis was carried out on 1079 camera trap events over 1530 camera trap–nights or 36 720 h of camera trap deployment in the field. The activity patterns of Rattus lutreolus were distinctly diurnal with crepuscular peaks of activity but this differed between sites and when in the presence of competitors. The Hastings River mouse (Pseudomys oralis) and the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) displayed typical bimodal patterns of nocturnal activity. Antechinus were mostly nocturnal but were occasionally active during the day. These data indicate that where species of Muridae co-occur, diurnal time partitioning by R. lutreolus may reduce competition for food resources. It also confirms the speculation that R. lutreolus displays diurnal behaviour, albeit dependent on the presence of other murids.

Cutting the carnage: wildlife usage of road culverts in north-eastern New South Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan D. Taylor ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
The Road ◽  
North East ◽  
Road Section ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Usa

Culverts have been used for a number of decades in Europe and the USA to reduce wildlife road-kills. In Australia, culverts have been employed by road authorities only relatively recently. This study used sand-strip surveys to investigate wildlife usage of nine purpose-built culverts along a 1.4-km section of the Pacific Highway at Brunswick Heads, north-east New South Wales. Surveys during two eight-day periods in spring and summer 2000 found 1202 traverses by wildlife through the culverts. Frequent culvert users were bandicoots (25% of traverses), rats (25%), wallabies (13%) and cane toads (14%). All culverts were used by these species, suggesting that at least several individuals of each species were involved. Infrequent users (each <2% of crossings) were possums, echidnas, lizards, birds and introduced carnivores. A koala was recorded crossing on two occasions. The long-nosed potoroo was observed in the surrounding habitat but was not confirmed traversing the culverts. Surveys for road-kills on this road section suggest that the exclusion fence bordering the highway prevented mammal road-kills and channeled mammals to the culverts. A single survey on a wet night found many frogs crossing the road surface and many were killed. This study confirms that culverts and exclusion fencing facilitate safe passage across a road for a range of wildlife species. This suggests that this form of management response to extensive road mortality of wildlife is appropriate and should be adopted more widely. However, this form of mitigation is not effective for frogs.

The diet of the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) in north-eastern Australia with comments on its conservation implications

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Brook ◽  
A. S. Kutt
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Local Population ◽  
European Hare ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Critical Weight ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern

The dingo (Canis lupus dingo and hybrids) is the top mammalian predator on the Australian mainland and is thought to control and suppress populations of native herbivores and smaller mesopredators, including the introduced feral cat (Felis catus). Dingoes have been persecuted as a threat to domestic livestock, and local population decreases have been linked to increasing mesopredator populations, which in turn may cause the decline of small native mammals. There is little data on the dingo’s dietary composition in northern Australia. We examined the diet of dingoes in north-eastern Queensland via scat collection and analysis. A total of 178 scats were examined between 1994 and 2000, comprised of 185 prey items and representing 21 discrete prey types. Native mammal prey was the most frequent dietary component (69.7%), with large- to medium-sized macropods (Macropus spp. and Wallabia bicolor) present in the majority of samples (51.1%). Critical Weight Range species were found in 18.0% of the records. Introduced species such as the European hare/rabbit (Lepus capensis/Oryctolagus cuniculus) and cattle (Bos taurus) were found in smaller amounts (14.6 and 10.1%, respectively). These results suggest that dingoes prey considerably on large- to medium-sized macropods in our study area (north-eastern Australia). Dingo diet tends to differ regionally where dingoes prey on native species that are locally common or abundant. Finally, the diets of the dingo and feral cat do not appear to considerably overlap in our study area, which may have implications for mesopredator suppression.

The Ecology of the Dingo in North-Eastern New South Wales. 2. Diet.

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Robertshaw ◽  
RH Harden
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
New South ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Hunting Strategy ◽  
Behavioural Mechanism

The diet of two populations of dingoes, from adjacent areas different in topography and altitude, from 1969 to 1974, were similar. The remains of native mammals were found in over 90% of the scats, and Wallabia bicolor was the most important single prey species in both areas. The high frequency of large native species in this and other studies of dingoes' diet suggested that dingoes may be essentially predators of the larger native species. The mammalian composition of the diet varied significantly between May-October and November-April; this reflected a change in the hunting strategy ofthe dingo, as an outcome of behavioural necessity rather than a change in the relative abundances of prey species. Concurrent with an increase in the dingo population, the composition of the diet changed between 1972 and 1974, with an increased concentration on larger prey species in the later years; this also indicated a change in hunting strategy. Large prey species provide potentially more biomass per unit kill; and this change in hunting strategy may be a behavioural mechanism for buffering dingo populations against either increases in their own population or decreases in those of their prey.

Behaviour and survivorship of a dasyurid predator (Antechinus flavipes) in response to encounters with the toxic and invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina)

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiebke Kämper ◽  
Jonathan K. Webb ◽  
Mathew S. Crowther ◽  
Matthew J. Greenlees ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
New South ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Cane Toad ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Rhinella Marina ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Australian Marsupial ◽  
Do So

Australia’s biogeographical isolation has rendered many endemic species vulnerable to invaders. The recent spread of the cane toad (Rhinella marina) has caused serious population declines for some predatory reptile and mammal species. To determine a priori whether or not cane toad poisoning endangers native species, we can test the fates of predators in laboratory trials. We investigated whether an Australian marsupial whose range is increasingly being occupied by cane toads (the yellow-footed antechinus, Antechinus flavipes) is at risk of toad poisoning by testing (1) whether yellow-footed antechinuses approach or attack cane toads and, if so, whether they die as a result; and (2) if they survive, whether they then learn to avoid toads in subsequent encounters. We also investigated the effects of sympatry with toads on the feeding response. In all, 58% of antechinuses from eastern New South Wales approached or attacked a toad (over 4 or 5 opportunities to do so, on successive nights), and none showed ill effects after doing so. Antechinuses that attacked (killed or ingested) toads rapidly learnt to avoid them. Antechinuses from toad-exposed populations ingested more toad flesh, but otherwise reacted in the same ways as did conspecifics from toad-free areas. Hence, the yellow-footed antechinus is unlikely to face population declines via toad poisoning.

Bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) use drainage culverts to cross roads

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Crook ◽  
Stuart C. Cairns ◽  
Karl Vernes
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Structural Variables

Despite drainage culverts being numerous along highways, there is a scarcity of data evaluating their use as roadway underpasses by wildlife, including the bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus), a large marsupial that is involved in substantial numbers of vehicle collisions in New South Wales. Culvert use was measured with camera traps positioned at 19 drainage culverts along an 8-km stretch of ‘Thunderbolt’s Way’ near Nowendoc on the Northern Tableland, north-eastern New South Wales. The estimated probability of the occupancy/use of a culvert by a wombat was 0.46 ± 0.10. Culvert use was related to structural variables (e.g. diameter and length) and both the distance to the next adjacent culvert and to forest cover. This suggests that wombats readily use drainage culverts to cross under roads and that these structures could be modified (e.g. by maintaining proximate forest cover) to increase the likelihood that wombats would use them, thus reducing vehicle collisions and road mortality of wombats.

Habitat Effects on Organ Weights, Longevity and Reproduction in the Mountain Brushtail Possum, Trichosurus caninus (Ogilby)

1982 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Barnett ◽  
R.A. How ◽  
WF Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Corpora Lutea ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Reproductive Life ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Genetic Characters

Fifty-seven mountain brushtail possums. Trichosurus caninus (Ogilby), were killed and examined from a population in north-eastern New South Wales; 34 were from preferred habitat and 23 from peripheral habitat. Maximum age attained was 17 y for females and 12 y for males. Body, kidney, spleen and male liver weights were greater (P<0.05) in peripheral habitat, and female adrenal glands were heavier (P< 0.05) in preferred habitat. The mean number of corpora lutea per year of reproductive life was greater in peripheral-habitat females (1.56 � 0.13 SE) than in preferred-habitat females (1.18 � 0.11; P<0.05). Adult sex ratio was parity in both habitats but themean annual sex ratio of pouch young was 2.5:1 male : female in preferred habitat and 0.7:1 in peripheral habitat. The phenotypic distri-bution of transferrin differed between habitats. The data suggest that T. caninus in preferred and peripheral habitats were sufficiently distinctive in morphological, demographic, behavioural and genetic characters to be considered distinct subpopulations.

Studies of the ground-dwelling mammals of eucalypt forests in south-eastern New South Wales: the species, their abundance and distribution

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
PC Catling ◽  
RJ Burt
Keyword(s):  
Introduced Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Management Options ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Significant Difference

We examined the distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals in the major eucalypt communities within 500 000 ha of eucalypt forest in south-eastern New South Wales. Data for 22 species of mammal are presented from 13 areas comprising 42 eucalypt communities. Two features were the abundance and widespread distribution of the introduced red fox and cat, and the absence of small wallabies (potoroo size) and low abundance of other medium-sized native mammals such as bandicoots. Six mammal species occurred in all areas and in most eucalypt communities. Although there were differences in the distribution and abundance of species between areas there was no significant difference between areas in the number of native and introduced species. Some mammal species were absent from some eucalypt communities, but no eucalypt community was devoid of ground-dwelling mammals and each had native and introduced species present. The E. fastigata group had the highest number of species (14) and one community (E. fastigata-E. cypellocarpa) contained the highest number of native (9) and introduced (4) species. The E. maculata group contained the lowest number of native species with eastern grey kangaroos absent and common wombats present in one community only. The results of this study suggest that management options for arboreal mammals may not apply to the ground-dwelling mammals. The ground-dwelling mammals present today in south-eastern New South Wales appear to be remnants of a more diverse fauna left after clearing, forestry activities and predation by introduced species. Some species are in urgent need of protection and management if they are to persist.

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