Register      Login
Australian Mammalogy Australian Mammalogy Society
Journal of the Australian Mammal Society
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Feral cat predation of the threatened Pilbara leaf-nosed bat – a key threatening process

Jessie Moyses https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7013-9142 A B , Craig Grabham C * , Kyle N. Armstrong D E F , Chris G. Knuckey G and Brighton D’Rozario G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A GHD Pty Ltd, Level 9, 180 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Vic., 3000, Australia. Email: jessie.moyses@ghd.com

B School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD., 4000, Australia. Email: jessie.moyses@hdr.qut.edu.au

C GHD Pty Ltd, Level 2, 45 Brougham Street, Geelong, Vic., 3220, Australia.

D School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. Email: kyle.n.armstrong@gmail.com

E South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.

F Specialised Zoological, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Email: kyle.n.armstrong@gmail.com

G Biologic Environmental, 24-26 Wickham Street, East Perth, WA 6004, Australia. Email: chris@biologicenv.com.au, brighton@biologicenv.com.au

* Correspondence to: craig.grabham@ghd.com

Handling Editor: Ross Goldingay

Australian Mammalogy 46, AM23049 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM23049
Submitted: 15 November 2023  Accepted: 20 April 2024  Published: 24 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Abstract

Feral cat predation is recognised as a significant threat to Australian wildlife that has contributed to population declines and extinctions. Cat predation of bats worldwide is a growing concern, though there are few studies focusing on Australian species. We consolidated empirical evidence of cat predation on the threatened Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Observations in video and camera trap datasets demonstrated repeated predation of R. aurantia by several individual cats at three significant roosts. Between 2020 and 2023, we documented 183–200 bat kills at these sites. We recommend feral cat predation be formally recognised as a key threat to this species. To prevent declines at key colonies that would contribute to a population reduction, ongoing monitoring and proactive control of cats at known R. aurantia roosts should be prioritised. As demonstrated herein, camera trap monitoring is a valid method for quantifying the impact of feral cats at roost sites. Because relatively few individual cats at just a few sites can have a large impact, and most of the larger roost sites of R. aurantia have been discovered, there is potential for amelioration of this threat with multiple established and emerging methods deployed concurrently.

Keywords: Australian wildlife, bat roosts, camera‐trapping, feral cat, invasive species, Pilbara leaf-nosed bat, predation, wildlife management, threatened species, threatening process.

References

Abbott, I. (2002). Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia, with a discussion of the magnitude of its early impact on native fauna. Wildlife Research 29, 51-74.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Algar, D., Angus, G. J., Williams, M. R., and Mellican, A. E. (2007). Influence of bait type, weather and prey abundance on bait uptake by feral cats (Felis catus) on Peron Peninsula, Western Australia. Conservation Science Western Australia 6, 109-149.
| Google Scholar |

Algar, D., Angus, G. J., Brazell, R. I., Gilbert, C., and Withnell, G. B. (2010). Eradication of feral cats on Faure Island, Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 93, 133-140.
| Google Scholar |

Ancillotto, L., Serangeli, M. T., and Russo, D. (2013). Curiosity killed the bat: domestic cats as bat predators. Mammalian Biology 78, 369-373.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Anderson, H., Richards, B., Ross, W., and Palmer, R. (2021). Feral cat (Felis catus) predation confirmed for Rothschild’s rock-wallaby (Petrogale rothschildi) in the Pilbara. Australian Mammalogy 44, 169-172.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N. (2000). Roost microclimates of the bat Rhinonicteris aurantius in a limestone cave in Geike Gorge, Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 22, 69-70.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N. (2001). The distribution and roost habitat of the orange leaf-nosed bat, Rhinonicteris aurantius, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Wildlife Research 28, 95-104.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N. (2002). Morphometric divergence among populations of Rhinonicteris aurantius (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in northern Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 50, 649-669.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N. (2005). A description and discussion of the penile morphology of Rhinonicteris aurantius (Gray, 1845) (Microchiroptera: Hipposideridae). Australian Mammalogy 27, 161-167.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N., and Coles, R. B. (2007). Echolocation call frequency differences between geographic isolates of Rhinonicteris aurantia (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae): implications of nasal chamber size. Journal of Mammalogy 88, 94-104.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armstrong, K. N., Goodman, S. M., Benda, P., and Hand, S. J. (2016). A common name for the bat family Rhinonycteridae—the Trident Bats. Zootaxa 4179, 115-117.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Armstrong, K. N., Reardon, T. B., Woinarski, J. C. Z., and Burbidge, A. A. (2021). Rhinonicteris aurantia (amended version of 2017 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T19589A209539734. 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T19589A209539734.en [accessed 9 November 2023].

Bat Call WA (2021a). A review of ghost bat ecology, threats and survey requirements. (Report prepared by R. D. Bullen of Bat Call WA Pty Ltd for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra, ACT, Australia.) Available at https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/review-ghostbat-ecology-threats.pdf

Bat Call WA (2021b). A review of Pilbara leaf-nosed bat ecology, threats and survey requirements. (Report prepared by R. D. Bullen of Bat Call WA Pty Ltd for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.) Available at https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/review-pilbara-leaf-nosed-bat-ecology-threats.pdf

Baudinette, R. V., Churchill, S. K., Christian, K. A., Nelson, J. E., and Hudson, P. J. (2000). Energy, water balance and the roost microenvironment in three Australian cave-dwelling bats (Microchiroptera). Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology 170, 439-446.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Borkin, K. M., Easton, L., and Bridgman, L. (2022). Bats attacked by companion and feral cats: evidence from indigenous forest and rural landscapes in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 50, 1-8.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Campbell, K. J., Harper, G., Algar, D., Hanson, C. C., Keitt, B. S., and Robinson, S. (2011). Review of feral cat eradications on islands. In ‘Island invasives: eradication and management’. (Eds C. R. Veitch, M. N. Clout, D. R. Towns.) pp. 37–46. (IUCN: Gland, Switzerland.)

Corcoran, A. J., Schirmacher, M. R., Black, E., and Hedrick, T. L. (2021). ThruTracker: open-source software for 2-D and 3-D animal video tracking. bioRxiv
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Cramer, V. A., Armstrong, K. N., Bullen, R. D., Ellis, R., Gibson, L. A., McKenzie, N. L., O’Connell, M., Spate, A., and van Leeuwen, S. (2016). Research priorities for the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form). Australian Mammalogy 38, 149-157.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Cramer, V. A., Armstrong, K. N., Bullen, R. D., Cross, S. L., Gibson, L., Hanrahan, N., Knuckey, C. G., Ottewell, K., Reiffer, S., Ruykys, L., Shaw, R. E., Thavornkanlapachai, R., Thompson, S. A., Wild, S., and van Leeuwen, S. (2022). Research priorities for the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 45, 1-12.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

da Costa-Pinto, A. L. (2020). First record of natural predation on bats by domestic cat in Brazil, with distribution extension for Phyllostomus discolor. Oecologia Australis 24, 242-248.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Delpietro, H., Konolsaisen, F., Marchevsky, N., and Russo, G. (1994). Domestic cat predation on vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) while foraging on goats, pigs, cows and human beings. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 39, 141-150.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (2023). Western Australian Feral Cat Strategy. Available at https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/news/2023/was-new-strategy-crackdown-feral-cats-nation-first [accessed 18 August 2023].

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023a). Feral Cats. Feral cats - DCCEEW. Available at https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/feral-animals-australia/feral-cats [accessed 29 June 2023].

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023b). Species Profile and Threats Database Rhinonicteris aurantia (Pilbara form) – Pilbara Leaf-nosed Bat. Available at https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=82790 [accessed 31 August 2023].

Doherty, T. S., Dickman, C. R., Johnson, C. N., Legge, S. M., Ritchie, E. G., and Woinarski, J. C. Z. (2017). Impacts and management of feral cats Felis catus in Australia. Mammal Review 47, 83-97.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Ellis, J. A., and Ong, B. (2017). The MassARRAY ® System for Targeted SNP Genotyping. In ‘Genotyping. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol 1492’. (Eds S. J. White, S. Cantsilieris.) pp. 77–94. (Humana Press: New York, NY.) 10.1007/978-1-4939-6442-0_5

Hohnen, R., James, A. I., Jennings, P., Murphy, B. P., Berris, K., Legge, S. M., Dickman, C. R., and Woinarski, J. C. Z. (2023). Abundance and detection of feral cats decreases after severe fire on Kangaroo Island, Australia. Austral Ecology 48, 600-615.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kamvar, Z. N., Brooks, J. C., and Grünwald, N. J. (2015). Novel R tools for analysis of genome-wide population genetic data with emphasis on clonality. Frontiers in Genetics 6, 208.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Khayat, R. O. S., Grant, R. A., Ryan, H., Melling, L. M., Dougill, G., Killick, D. R., and Shaw, K. J. (2020). Investigating cat predation as the cause of bat wing tears using forensic DNA analysis. Ecology and Evolution 10, 8368-8378.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Kulzer, E., Nelson, J. E., McKean, J. L., and Moehres, F. P. (1970[Temperature regulation in Australian bats (Microchiroptera)].). Untersuchungen ueber die temperaturregulation Australischer Fledermause (Microchiroptera). Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologie 69, 426-451.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Legge, S., Murphy, B. P., McGregor, H., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Augusteyn, J., Ballard, G., Baseler, M., Buckmaster, T., Dickman, C. R., Doherty, T., Edwards, G., Eyre, T., Fancourt, B. A., Ferguson, D., Forsyth, D. M., Geary, W. L., Gentle, M., Gillespie, G., Greenwood, L., Hohnen, R., Hume, S., Johnson, C. N., Maxwell, M., McDonald, P. J., Morris, K., Moseby, K., Newsome, T., Nimmo, D., Paltridge, R., Ramsey, D., Read, J., Rendall, A., Rich, M., Ritchie, E., Rowland, J., Short, J., Stokeld, D., Sutherland, D. R., Wayne, A. F., Woodford, L., and Zewe, F. (2017). Enumerating a continental-scale threat: how many feral cats are in Australia? Biological Conservation 206, 293-303.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Lepczyk, C. A., Mertig, A. G., and Liu, J. (2004). Landowners and cat predation across rural-to-urban landscapes. Biological Conservation 115, 191-201.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

McGregor, H., Legge, S., Jones, M. E., and Johnson, C. N. (2015). Feral cats are better killers in open habitats, revealed by animal-borne video. PLoS One 10, e0133915.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Medina, F. M., Bonnaud, E., Vidal, E., Tershy, B. R., Zavaleta, E. S., Josh Donlan, C., Keitt, B. S., Le Corre, M., Horwath, S. V., and Nogales, M. (2011). A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates. Global Change Biology 17, 3503-3510.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Moseby, K. E., Hill, B. M., and Read, J. L. (2009). Arid recovery–a comparison of reptile and small mammal populations inside and outside a large rabbit, cat and fox‐proof exclosure in arid South Australia. Austral Ecology 34, 156-169.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Moseby, K. E., Peacock, D. E., and Read, J. L. (2015). Catastrophic cat predation: a call for predator profiling in wildlife protection programs. Biological Conservation 191, 331-340.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Oedin, M., Brescia, F., Millon, A., Murphy, B. P., Palmas, P., Woinarski, J. C. Z., and Vidal, E. (2021). Cats Felis catus as a threat to bats worldwide: a review of the evidence. Mammal Review 51, 323-337.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Phillips, S., Coburn, D., and James, R. (2001). An observation of cat predation upon an eastern blossom bat Syconycteris australis. Australian Mammalogy 23, 57-58.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Prevosti, A. (1974). La distancia genetica entre poblaciones. Miscellanea Alcobe 68, 109-118.
| Google Scholar |

Rocha, R. (2015). Look what the cat dragged in: Felis silvestris catus as predators of insular bats and instance of predation on the endangered Pipistrellus maderensis. Barbastella 8, 18-21.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Scrimgeour, J., Beath, A., and Swanney, M. (2012). Cat predation of short-tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata rhyocobia) in rangataua forest, Mount Ruapehu, central North Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 39, 257-260.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Threatened Species Scientific Committee (2016). Conservation Advice Rhinonicteris aurantia (Pilbara form) (Pilbara Leaf-nosed Bat). Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/82790-conservation-advice-10032016.pdf [accessed 31 August 2023].

Welch, J. N., and Leppanen, C. (2017). The threat of invasive species to bats: a review. Mammal Review 47, 277-290.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Woinarski, J. C. Z., Burbidge, A. A., and Harrison, P. L. (2014). ‘The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne, Vic.)

Woolley, L. A., Geyle, H. M., Murphy, B. P., Legge, S. M., Palmer, R., Dickman, C. R., Augusteyn, J., Comer, S., Doherty, T. S., Eager, C., Edwards, G., Harley, D. K. P., Leiper, I., McDonald, P. J., McGregor, H. W., Moseby, K. E., Myers, C., Read, J. L., Riley, J., Stokeld, D., Turpin, J. M., and Woinarski, J. C. Z. (2019). Introduced cats Felis catus eating a continental fauna: inventory and traits of Australian mammal species killed. Mammal Review 49, 354-368.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |