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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(3)

Exploratory behaviour in northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) in Tropical North Queensland, Australia

Wendy A. Callaway A , Sarah E. Kerr A B and Tasmin L. Rymer https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9963-6345 A B *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

B Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

* Correspondence to: tasmin.rymer@jcu.edu.au

Handling Editor: Ross Goldingay

Australian Mammalogy 46, AM24048 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM24048
Submitted: 27 November 2024  Accepted: 5 December 2024  Published: 20 December 2024

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

Abstract

Little is known of bandicoot and bilby (i.e. Peramelemorphia) exploratory behaviour (e.g. activity in an open field arena). In a pilot study, we assessed activity of 14 adult male northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) in a modified open field over two nights. While we found no consistent intra-individual variation, males in poorer body condition were in better breeding condition, suggesting a possible trade-off between reproduction and maintenance. Older males with larger testes and in better breeding condition reduced activity from Day 1 to Day 2, possibly to minimise energetic expenditure. Our pilot study of the exploratory behaviour of northern brown bandicoots suggests interesting avenues for future research in Peramelemorphia behaviour generally.

Keywords: activity, exploration, inter-individual variation, marsupial, Peramelemorphia, repeatability, trade-off.

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