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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(3)

Environmental temperature influences detectability of a nocturnal marsupial

Gillian N. Kowalick A * , Alexandra K. Ross https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0510-6667 A and Helen A. Crisp A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Wildlife Conservancy, PO Box 8070, Subiaco East, WA 6008, Australia.

* Correspondence to: Gillian.Kowalick@australianwildlife.org

Handling Editor: Ross Goldingay

Australian Mammalogy 46, AM24005 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM24005
Submitted: 26 February 2024  Accepted: 3 August 2024  Published: 23 August 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society.

Abstract

Mammals have a range of strategies designed to maintain optimal body temperature regardless of environmental temperature. One energy-efficient strategy is to avoid environmental temperature extremes by modifying active periods. Reduced animal activity can result in fewer detections of target species during surveys that require direct observation of individuals. Observations of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) from 8 years of survey data were investigated to determine the impact of environmental temperature and season on bilby detectability. Bilby observations were positively correlated with temperature regardless of season. Wildlife managers should consider minimum environmental temperatures when planning surveys and analysing observational data.

Keywords: activity, behaviour, bilby, conservation, marsupial, monitoring methods, observational data, semi-arid, spotlight survey, temperature.

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