Effect of sex and age on temporal variation in the frequency and direction of platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) captures in fyke nets
Melody Serena A B and Geoff A. Williams A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Australian Platypus Conservancy, PO Box 22, Wiseleigh, Vic. 3885, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: platypus.apc@westnet.com.au
Australian Mammalogy 34(1) 75-82 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM10056
Submitted: 16 December 2010 Accepted: 1 July 2011 Published: 24 October 2011
Abstract
Fyke netting is currently the method mainly used to describe the demographic attributes of platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) populations occupying relatively shallow, flowing water bodies. Based on fieldwork carried out in Victoria from 1995 to 2010, fyke netting surveys conducted in the month when the highest frequency of nightly captures was recorded (July) resulted in nearly three times as many adults and subadults entering nets as compared with those scheduled in the months when the fewest nightly captures were recorded (April and May). Significant sex-specific variation was apparent in relation to monthly capture frequencies: males were captured most often in August (the start of the breeding season), whereas females were captured most often in January (the peak period of lactation). The frequency of platypus captures also varied significantly when considered on a nocturnal time scale, with 63% of adult and subadult captures and 73% of juvenile captures being recorded in the first half of the night. Both juveniles (<11 months) and older animals also showed a significant tendency to travel upstream in the first half of the night. These potential sources of bias in datasets need to be considered when analysing and comparing the results of platypus fyke netting studies.
Additional keywords: foraging directionality, mark–recapture, population abundance, seasonal variation, sex ratio, temporal bias.
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