Nest- and refuge-tree usage by squirrel gliders, Petaurus norfolcensis, in south-east Queensland

Abstract

The types of nest trees used by squirrel gliders and the tree types available in the environment were compared. Non-eucalypt trees and smooth-barked eucalypts were significantly under-utilised as nest trees, and iron-barked eucalypts and stags were used as nest trees to a greater degree than would be expected from their availability in the environment. Stags used as nest trees could be of a significantly smaller tree diameter than other tree types, whereas smooth-barked trees used as nest trees were of a significantly larger diameter than all other tree types.