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 > AM09023
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 31(2)

Remote monitoring of the behaviour and activity of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

Lindsay A. Hogan A B F , Clive J. C. Phillips B , Allan Lisle C , Alan B. Horsup D , Tina Janssen E and Steve D. Johnston A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Animal Studies, the University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

B Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, School of Veterinary Science, the University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

C School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences, the University of Queensland, Gatton, 4343 Qld, Australia.

D Environmental Protection Agency, Central Division, Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia.

E Rockhampton Botanical Gardens and Zoo, Rockhampton, Qld 4700, Australia.

F Corresponding author. Email: lindsay.hogan@uqconnect.edu.au

Australian Mammalogy 31(2) 123-135 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM09023
Submitted: 4 September 2009  Accepted: 21 October 2009   Published: 12 November 2009

Abstract

The nocturnal nature of wombats makes it difficult to learn about their behavioural ecology and activity rhythms in the wild. A facility was established at Rockhampton Zoo to house 12 adult southern hairy-nosed wombats in order to monitor their behaviour by means of video surveillance and provide detailed information on their activity patterns using movement-sensitive radio-transmitters. After one year of monitoring it was established that the wombats spent, on average, as a proportion of total time 69.9% sleeping, 8.8% lying resting, 5.2% feeding, 5.2% exploring, 4.3% performing stereotyped behaviour, 2.5% sitting resting and 4.1% in other activities. Feeding, lying resting and sleeping varied with season by ~5%. Temporal patterns were bimodal for 8 of the 12 behaviours described, with most ‘active’ behaviours being expressed between 1800 and 2000 hours and 0200 and 0500 hours. The activity pattern was characterised by a strong circadian rhythm, with most activity occurring nocturnally. Within active periods there was an alternating rhythm of active and rest periods and activity peaks at the beginning and end of each night. Comprehensive and reliable information on the behavioural ecology, as well as captive management, of southern hairy-nosed wombats was obtained from the remote video and radio-transmitter recordings.

Additional Keywords: digital video surveillance, marsupial, radio telemetry, time budgets.


Acknowledgements

We thank the zookeepers and staff at Rockhampton Botanical Gardens and Zoo, the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency and in particular the Wombat Foundation for financial and logistical support of this research. One of us (Lindsay Hogan) received a Queensland Government research grant and a University of Queensland postgraduate scholarship. This research was supported by the Queensland Governments Growing the Smart State Program. We acknowledge the assistance of Mr Pete Brooks and Mr Anthony Lyon in the daily husbandry and management of the wombats.


References

Altmann J. (1973). ‘Observational Study of Behaviour: Sampling Methods.’ (University of Chicago: Chicago, IL.)

Barboza, P. S. (1993). Digestive strategies of the wombats: feed intake, fibre digestion and digesta passage in two grazing marsupials with hindgut fermentation. Physiological Zoology 66, 983–999.
Booth R. (1999). Wombats: care and treatment of sick, injured and orphaned animals. In ‘Wildlife in Australia – Healthcare and Management’. pp. 1–10. (Post-graduate Foundation in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney: Sydney.)

Carlstead K. (1996). Effects of captivity on the behaviour of wild mammals. In ‘Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques’. (Eds D. G. Kleiman, M. E. Allen, K. V. Thompson and S. Lumpkin.) pp. 317–330. (University of Chicago Press: London.)

Crowcroft, P. , and Soderlund, R. (1977). Breeding of wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in captivity. Zoological Garten 47, 313–322.
Druery G. V. (2004). Development of assisted breeding techniques in the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons). M.Sc. Thesis, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Qld.

Evans M. C. (2000). Ecological energetics of wombats. Ph.D. Thesis, University of New England, Armidale, NSW.

Evans, M. C. (2008). Home range, burrow-use and activity patterns in common wombats (Vombatus ursinus). Wildlife Research 35, 455–462.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Finlayson G. R. (2002). Warren-use, home range and activity levels in the southern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus latifrons. B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, University of Melbourne.

Finlayson, G. R. , Shimmin, G. , Taggart, D. , Skinner, J. , Gilmore, A. , and Paris, M. C. (2006). Oestrous cycle of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in South Australia, Australia. Animal Reproduction Science 95, 295–306.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Gaughwin M. D. (1981). Socio-ecology of the hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in the Blanche Town region of South Australia. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Adelaide.

Gaughwin M. D. (1982). Southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons): its maintenance, behaviour and reproduction in captivity. In ‘The Management of Australian Mammals in Captivity’. (Ed. D. D. Evans.) pp. 144–154. (Australian Mammal Society: Melbourne.)

Gaughwin M. D. , Breed W. G. , and Wells R. T. (1998). Seasonal reproduction in a population of southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in the Blanchetown region of South Australia. In ‘Wombats’. (Eds R. T. Wells and P. A. Pridmore.) pp. 109–112. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Hogan L. A. (2004). The behaviour of captive common wombats (Vombatus ursinus). B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, University of Queensland, Gatton.

Hogan, L. A. , and Tribe, A. (2007). Prevalence and cause of stereotypic behaviour in common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) residing in Australian zoos. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 105, 180–191.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Jackson S. (2003). Wombats. In ‘Australian Mammals – Biology and Captive Management’. pp. 183–203. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Johnson, C. N. (1991). Utilization of habitat by the northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii. Journal of the Zoological Society of London 225, 495–507.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kenward R. E. (1987). Basic equipment. In ‘Wildlife Radio Tagging: Equipment, Field Techniques and Data Analysis’. pp. 8–40. (Academic Press: Sydney.)

Kenward R. E. (2000). Basic equipment. In ‘A Manual for Wildlife Radio-tracking’. pp. 20–56. (Academic Press: Sydney.)

McIlroy J. (1973). Aspects of the ecology of the common wombat, Vombatus ursinus. Ph.D. Thesis, Australian National University, Canberra.

Nagy, K. A. , and Knight, M. H. (1994). Energy, water and food use by Springbok antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis) in the Kalahari Desert. Journal of Mammalogy 75, 860–872.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Triggs B. (1996). ‘The Wombat: Common Wombats in Australia.’ (USNW Press: Sydney.)

Wang, Z. , and Goonewardene, L. A. (2004). The use of MIXED models in the analysis of animal experiments with repeated measures data. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 84, 1–10.


Weller, S. H. , and Bennett, C. L. (2001). Twenty-four hour activity budgets and patterns of behaviour in captive ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 71, 67–79.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wells, R. T. (1978). Field observations of the hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Australian Wildlife Research 5, 299–303.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wronski, T. , Apio, A. , and Plath, M. (2006). Activity patterns of bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Behavioural Processes 73, 333–341.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |