Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Australian Mammalogy Australian Mammalogy Society
Journal of the Australian Mammal Society
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > AM > AM09019
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(1)

The effectiveness of hair traps for surveying mammals: results of a study in sandstone caves in the Tasmanian southern midlands

Rachel L. Harris A and Stewart C. Nicol A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas. 7000, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: s.c.nicol@utas.edu.au

Australian Mammalogy 32(1) 62-66 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM09019
Submitted: 4 August 2009  Accepted: 30 January 2010   Published: 24 March 2010

Abstract

We compared detection success of hair tubes and funnels with tape and Velcro adhesives as part of a small-scale mammal survey in sand-bottomed caves in the southern midlands of Tasmania. In order to detect small mammals entering traps but not leaving hair samples behind, a new type of funnel design was tested. In total, 19 species were detected throughout the survey period using a combination of hair traps and track and scat analysis. When tracks were observed inside funnel entrances no hairs were found on the adhesive tapes in 71% of cases. Hairs from several species were found in traps although there were no tracks of these species in the caves. These results further emphasise the importance of using multiple techniques when conducting general mammal surveys. Appropriate hair trap design is an important factor to be considered when conducting mammal surveys, as it has the potential to strongly influence survey efficiency and overall results.

Additional keywords: adhesive, funnel, hair trap, mammal survey, scats, Tasmania, tracks.


Acknowledgements

We thank the McShane family for allowing us to conduct our survey on their property. Thanks to Billie Lazenby for advice on hair identification, Barbara Triggs for validating a subsample, and two anonymous reviewers for useful comments on the manuscript. This study was conducted under Animal Ethics Approval A0010064 and Department of Primary Industries and Water Permit FA 08053.


References

Boyce J. (2009). ‘Van Diemen’s Land.’ (Black Inc.: Melbourne.)

Brunner H. , and Coman B. J. (1974). ‘The Identification of Mammalian Hair.’ (Inkata Press: Melbourne.)

Catling, P. C. , Burt, R. J. , and Kooyman, R. (1997). A comparison of techniques used in a survey of the ground-dwelling and arboreal mammals in forests in north-eastern New South Wales. Wildlife Research 24, 417–432.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Harris S. , and Kitchener A. (2005). ‘From Forest to Fjaeldmark: Descriptions of Tasmania’s Vegetation.’ (Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment: Hobart.)

Lindenmayer, D. B. , Wong, A. D. , and Triggs, B. E. (1995). A comparison of the detection of small mammals by hairtubing and by scat analysis. Australian Mammalogy 18, 91–92.
Triggs B. (1996). ‘Tracks, Scats and Other Traces: A Field Guide to Australian Mammals.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Triggs B. , and Brunner H. (2002). ‘Hair ID: An Interactive Tool for Identifying Australian Mammalian Hair.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Van Dyck S. , and Strahan R. (Eds) (2008). ‘The Mammals of Australia.’ 3rd edn. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)

Watts D. (2002). ‘Tasmanian Mammals: A Field Guide.’ (Peregrine Press: Kettering.)

Winnett, G. , and Degabriele, R. (1982). A hair sampling tube for the detection of small and medium-sized mammals. Australian Mammalogy 5, 143–145.