Distribution and diet of feral cats (Felis catus) in the Wet Tropics of north-eastern Australia, with a focus on the upland rainforest

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 649
Author(s):  
Jesse Rowland ◽  
Conrad J. Hoskin ◽  
Scott Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
Threatened Fauna ◽  
The Many ◽  
Source Sink

Abstract ContextFeral cats have been identified as a key threat to Australia’s biodiversity, particularly in arid areas and tropical woodlands. Their presence, abundance and potential impacts in rainforest have received less attention. AimsTo investigate the distribution and diet of feral cats (Felis catus) in upland rainforest of the Wet Tropics. MethodsWe collated available occurrence records from the Wet Tropics, and data from upland camera-trapping surveys over an 8-year period, to assess geographic and elevational distribution of feral cats in the bioregion. We also assessed the diet of feral cats from scats collected at upland sites. Key resultsFeral cats are widespread through the Wet Tropics bioregion, from the lowlands to the peaks of the highest mountains (>1600m), and in all vegetation types. Abundance appears to vary greatly across the region. Cats were readily detected during camera-trap surveys in some upland rainforest areas (particularly in the southern Atherton Tablelands and Bellenden Ker Range), but were never recorded in some areas (Thornton Peak, the upland rainforest of Windsor Tableland and Danbulla National Park) despite numerous repeated camera-trap surveys over the past 8 years at some of these sites. Scat analysis suggested that small mammals comprise ~70% of the diet of feral cats at an upland rainforest site. Multivariate analysis could not detect a difference in mammal community at sites where cats were detected or not. ConclusionsFeral cats are widespread in the Wet Tropics and appear to be common in some upland areas. However, their presence and abundance are variable across the region, and the drivers of this variability are not resolved. Small mammals appear to be the primary prey in the rainforest, although the impacts of cats on the endemic and threatened fauna of the Wet Tropics is unknown. ImplicationsGiven their documented impact in some ecosystems, research is required to examine the potential impact of cats on Wet Tropics fauna, particularly the many upland endemic vertebrates. Studies are needed on (1) habitat and prey selection, (2) population dynamics, and (3) landscape source–sink dynamics of feral cats in the Wet Tropics.

Making a killing: photographic evidence of predation of a Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) by a feral cat (Felis catus)

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn A. Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Photographic Evidence

Feral cats (Felis catus) have contributed to the extinction of numerous Australian mammals and are a major threat to many species of conservation significance. Small mammals are considered to be those at greatest risk of cat predation, with risk typically inferred from dietary studies. However, dietary studies may provide only weak inference as to the risk of cat predation for some species. The most compelling evidence of predation risk comes from direct observation of killing events; however, such observations are rare and photographic evidence is even rarer. I present photographic evidence of a feral cat killing and consuming an adult female Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii). This observation provides direct evidence that feral cats can kill prey up to 4 kg in body mass, with potential implications for the conservation of medium-sized mammals.

Gene Frequencies and Body Weights of Feral Cats, Felis catus (L.), from Five Australian Localities and from Macquarie Island

1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 231 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Jones ◽  
BJ Horton
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Coat Colour ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Macquarie Island ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Selection Gene

Frequencies of seven pelage-related genes and a coefficient of darkness were scored on groups of feral cats collected from five localities in south-eastern Australia and from Macquarie Island. There were significant differences in the frequencies of some of these genes and the coefficient of darkness between the various groups of cats. These differences were presumed to have been caused by the combined effects of natural selection, gene flow from surrounding domestic populations, and the founder effect. Significant differences in body weights of cats between some localities and for one coat colour allele were also found.

Bait uptake by feral cats on French Island, Victoria.

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Johnston ◽  
M.J. Shaw ◽  
A. Robley ◽  
N.K. Schedvin
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Control Technique ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Broad Scale

Management of feral cat (Felis catus) populations is currently limited by the lack of a control technique that is cost-effective, target-specific and suitable for broad-scale application. This paper describes two non-toxic bait acceptance trials undertaken on French Island in Western Port, Victoria in south?eastern Australia. Moist meat baits were injected with the marker Rhodamine B (RB), and surface distributed along the existing road and firebreak network. Subsequent trapping of feral cats facilitated collection of whiskers, which were analysed using ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy for the presence of RB marking. Twenty-four and forty-seven cats respectively were recovered in each trial with fifty per cent of these individuals found to have consumed at least one bait in either trial. Results are discussed with reference to the development of a felid-specific toxicant baiting technique.

scholarly journals Prey selection and dietary flexibility of three species of mammalian predator during an irruption of non-cyclic prey

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 170317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma E. Spencer ◽  
Thomas M. Newsome ◽  
Christopher R. Dickman
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Dietary Flexibility ◽  
Dietary Shifts

Predators often display dietary shifts in response to fluctuating prey in cyclic systems, but little is known about predator diets in systems that experience non-cyclic prey irruptions. We tracked dietary shifts by feral cats ( Felis catus ), red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) and dingoes ( Canis dingo ) through a non-cyclic irruption of small mammalian prey in the Simpson Desert, central Australia. We predicted that all three predators would alter their diets to varying degrees as small mammals declined post irruption, and to test our predictions we live-trapped small mammals through the irruption event and collected scats to track predator diets. Red foxes and dingoes included a broader variety of prey in their diets as small mammals declined. Feral cats did not exhibit a similar dietary shift, but did show variable use and selectivity of small mammal species through the irruption cycle. Results were largely consistent with prior studies that highlighted the opportunistic feeding habits of the red fox and dingo. They also, however, showed that feral cats may exhibit less dietary flexibility in response to small mammal irruptions, emphasizing the importance of tracking predator diets before, during and after irruption events.

Camera trap flash-type does not influence the behaviour of feral cats (Felis catus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick L. Taggart ◽  
David E. Peacock ◽  
Bronwyn A. Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Camera Trap ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Behavioural Responses

Camera traps are now the most commonly used technique for indexing feral cat (Felis catus) and predator populations. Camera flash-type has been suggested to influence an animal's behaviour and their redetection by similar cameras, with white-flash cameras being shown to reduce the probability of redetecting some species. We investigated the influence of camera flash-type on the behaviour of feral cats by categorising their behavioural response to white-flash and infrared-flash cameras and assessing the frequency with which individual cats were redetected by the same white-flash camera or a different white-flash camera at the same site following their initial detection. We found no evidence that flash type had any influence on the cats’ observed behavioural responses towards cameras, or that cats captured by white-flash cameras avoided redetection. Our findings suggest that white-flash cameras are suitable for the detection and redetection of cats, and provide better-quality images from which to identify individual cats.

Biology of the Feral Cat, Felis Catus (L.), On Macquarie Island.

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
NP Brothers ◽  
IJ Skira ◽  
GR Copson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Macquarie Island ◽  
Pregnant Females

246 feral cats were shot on Macquarie Island, Australia, between Dec. 1976 and Feb. 1981. The sex ratio ( males : females ) was 1:0.8. The percentages of animals with tabby, orange and black coats were 74, 26 and 2 resp. [sic]. Of the 64 orange cats, 56 were males . The breeding season was Oct.-Mar., with a peak in Nov.-Dec. The number of embryos in the 14 pregnant females averaged 4.7 (range = 1-9). The size of the 23 litters that were observed averaged 3 (range = 1-8). Kitten survival to 6 months of age was estimated to be <43%.

Evidence of significantly higher island feral cat abundance compared with the adjacent mainland

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick L. Taggart ◽  
Bronwyn A. Fancourt ◽  
Andrew J. Bengsen ◽  
David E. Peacock ◽  
Patrick Hodgens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Spatial Model ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Scale Models

Context Feral cats (Felis catus) impact the health and welfare of wildlife, livestock and humans worldwide. They are particularly damaging where they have been introduced into island countries such as Australia and New Zealand, where native prey species evolved without feline predators. Kangaroo Island, in South Australia, is Australia’s third largest island and supports several threatened and endemic species. Cat densities on Kangaroo Island are thought to be greater than those on the adjacent South Australian mainland, based on one cat density estimate on the island that is higher than most estimates from the mainland. The prevalence of cat-borne disease in cats and sheep is also higher on Kangaroo Island than the mainland, suggesting higher cat densities. A recent continental-scale spatial model of cat density predicted that cat density on Kangaroo Island should be about double that of the adjacent mainland. However, although cats are believed to have severe impacts on some native species on the island, other species that are generally considered vulnerable to cat predation have relatively secure populations on the island compared with the mainland. Aims The present study aimed to compare feral cat abundance between Kangaroo Island and the adjacent South Australian mainland using simultaneous standardised methods. Based on previous findings, we predicted that the relative abundance of feral cats on Kangaroo Island would be approximately double that on the South Australian mainland. Methods Standardised camera trap surveys were used to simultaneously estimate the relative abundance of feral cats on Kangaroo Island and the adjacent South Australian mainland. Survey data were analysed using the Royle–Nichols abundance-induced heterogeneity model to estimate feral cat relative abundance at each site. Key results Cat abundance on the island was estimated to be over 10 times greater than that on the adjacent mainland. Conclusions Consistent with predictions, cat abundance on the island was greater than on the adjacent mainland. However, the magnitude of this difference was much greater than expected. Implications The findings show that the actual densities of cats at local sites can vary substantially from predictions generated by continental-scale models. The study also demonstrates the value of estimating abundance or density simultaneously across sites using standardised methods.

The Response of Small Mammals to Clearing and Burning of Eucalypt Forest in South-eastern Australia

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
GR Friend
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Population Turnover ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes

Before, during and after a clearing operation for pine plantation establishment, small mammals were trapped on ridges which were to be cleared of all vegetation, and in adjacent gullies which were to be permanently retained under native forest. Rattus fuscipes was the most abundant native species on all grids throughout the study, while R. lutreolus, Antechinus stuartii and A. swainsonii were in low abundance. Clearing in early summer, the breeding season in most of these species, resulted in an acceleration and accentuation of population turnover. Some juveniles and subadults may have moved from the ridges during clearing, while breeding adults remained and probably perished. Populations of R. fuscipes on ridge areas were drastically reduced by clearing and windrowing, but subadults recolonized the affected areas within 1-2 months. Results for the other three native species were inconclusive, due to the few individuals captured at any time during the study. The exotic species Mus musculus began to invade immediately following windrow burning.

scholarly journals Catchment modelling of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient loads with SedNet/ANNEX in the Tully - Murray basin

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Armour ◽  
L. R. Hateley ◽  
G. L. Pitt
Keyword(s):  
Biophysical Model ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Total N ◽  
Hill Slope ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
The Impact

A long-term, annual-average catchment biophysical model (SedNet/ANNEX) was used to calculate sediment, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads in the Tully–Murray catchment of north-eastern Australia. A total of 119 000 t year–1 of suspended sediment, equivalent to 430 kg ha–1 year–1, was calculated to be exported to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Most of the sediment (64%) was generated from hill-slope erosion. The modelled load of dissolved inorganic N (1159 t year–1 or 4.2 kg N ha–1 year–1) was similar to that from other wet tropics catchments in Queensland with similar areas of sugarcane. Sugarcane produced 77% of this load. The annual loads of total N and total P were 2319 t and 244 t, respectively. Simulations (scenarios) were run to evaluate the impact of improved land management on pollutant loads to the GBR. A combination of improved cultivation and fertiliser management of sugarcane and bananas (99% of cropping land) and restoration of the most degraded riparian areas reduced sediment by 23 000 t year–1 (18%) and dissolved inorganic N by 286 t year–1 (25%). However, this reduction is much less than the reduction of 80% that may be needed in the catchment to meet target chlorophyll loads in the marine environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document