The acoustic repertoire of the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur)
B. Trenwith A * , K. N. Armstrong A , L. K. Van der Weyde B and K. E. Moseby B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5005, Australia.
B Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Australian Mammalogy 45(3) 264-274 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM22020
Submitted: 22 June 2022 Accepted: 18 December 2022 Published: 8 February 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society.
Abstract
Acoustic signalling is used by a range of taxa to convey information. Terrestrial marsupials are not considered particularly vocal, however acoustic signalling in this group may be important for predator avoidance and social cohesion. We defined the nocturnal acoustic repertoire of the burrowing bettong, a social macropod that shelters down warrens during the day, using micro audio-recorders on the radio-collars of 19 individuals. Alarm calls were emitted in response to external stimuli just prior to fleeing, whilst aggression and submission calls were generally recorded simultaneously in pairs of individuals, usually in food defence. Submission calls were often made whilst laying and defending with the hind feet. Contact calls were quieter and emitted when one individual slowly approached another. The isolation call was only observed in interactions between adult and juvenile. Bettong call rates were higher at night when bettongs were active (nearly 50/h) than during the day (<6/h). Males emitted alarm calls more often than females, and smaller females produced higher rates of submission calls than larger females. This study provides a foundation for improved call elicitation analysis in bettongs which could assist with conservation management.
Keywords: alarm call, animal communication, Australia, call elicitation, conservation, food defence, marsupial, Potoroidae, predator avoidance.
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