The Status and Distribution of The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) In the Australian Capital Territory with Notes on Some Localised Declines.

Abstract

Incidental captures of platypuses have been recorded during fisheries research programs conducted in the Australian Capital Territory over the past 25 years. Ad hoc records have also been recorded from Australian Capital Territory Parks and Conservation Service staff and members of the public as part of an ongoing database project known as the ACT Vertebrate Atlas. Information is presented on the distribution and relative abundance of platypuses in the major ACT streams. There appear to have been some localised declines in a number of ACT platypus populations in the Murrumbidgee, Molonglo and Queanbeyan River systems. Possible reasons behind these declines are discussed.