Northern quolls in the Pilbara are genetically distinct from other populations, and as cane toads are yet to reach this region, it is considered a stronghold for the species. Even so, the region is a mining hotspot and, until relatively recently, knowledge on how the northern quoll population was faring was lacking. Here, we provide a review of a research program that has greatly improved our ecological understanding of the species in this region.

The use of acoustic signalling to communicate by burrowing bettongs is currently poorly understood. To improve our understanding of their acoustic signalling and its role in predator avoidance and social cohesion, we sought to define the nocturnal acoustic repertoire of this threatened macropod. Using micro audio-recorders and camera footage, five call types were defined and behavioural contexts were associated, improving our understanding of sociality in this species.

I used detections of 156 individual eastern pygmy-possums within artificial cavities to investigate habitat use across 18 ha of a woodland–heathland mosaic. Differences were observed among breeding females, adult males and subadult pygmy-possums in the season of highest detection. Breeding females and subadults had higher detection in woodland compared with heathland.

Feral cats are a potential threat to the endangered night parrot. We examined camera trapping data from 2014 to 2020 collected at the night parrot reserve in south-western Queensland to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of feral cat activity. The final parsimonious model identified that feral cat detection decreased with increasing ruggedness and increased with distance to creek lines. Feral cat detection probability also declined over time from camera deployment. These data will help focus management of feral cats on this important conservation reserve.

Fauna monitoring increasingly uses camera traps. We compare the efficacy of trapping and spotlighting, and then the addition of camera trapping to record mammal species in northern Queensland, a region where the mammal fauna are sparse. Overall, the number of mammals recorded by all techniques was low. Camera trapping improved the recording of larger and more cryptic species. For the most thorough inventory of mammals in this region, we recommend that all methods be utilised to ensure that the absence of species in surveys is most likely to be due to genuine absence rather than an artefact of the methodology.

Understanding feral pig activity and habitat selection at fine scales will enable refinements in pest management programs. By tracking feral pigs at four study sites in Australia, we found that sex, site and time of day influence activity, while season does not. Highly-revisited sites were negatively correlated with distance to water, cultivation, open herbaceous vegetation and medium woody vegetation Targeting such areas with monitoring or control tools may improve feral pig encounter rates.

Free-ranging dogs were collared in the Arcadia valley Queensland to gain insight into how they use the unique topography. Anecdotal evidence suggests that topography like steep cliffs maybe a barrier to home range boundaries; dogs in this short study did not find cliffs a barrier. This information on dog activity helps inform managers on the use of habitat and helps to debunk perceptions around how dogs use the landscape.

Eastern bent-winged bats (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis) migrate between breeding and non-breeding roosts each year. This project describes microbat exit count patterns across different seasons for two cave-roosting species at a disused oil shale adit near Mudgee in New South Wales. This information can be used to guide survey effort and timing for echolocating bat adit investigations, and highlights the importance of protecting non-breeding roosts to ensure ongoing survival of threatened species. Photograph by Andrew Lothian.

The reproductive traits in many Australian species of bat remain poorly known. We present the first evidence for multiple litters (polyoestry) in the golden-tipped bat. We discuss the tropical origins of golden-tipped bats and conditions which may have facilitated multiple births in the first breeding season following the 2019/2020 Black Summer fires.