Feeding Strategies of the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia Bicolor, on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland. I: Composition of Diets.

Abstract

Species composition of plants present in the stomach contents of 34 road-killed swamp wallabies, W. bicolor, on North Stradbroke Island, SE Queensland, was investigated, and related to seasonal variation in N and fibre contents of plants in the study area. W. bicolor consumed a wide range of plant categories including shrubs, forbs, grasses, ferns and fungi. Among these, grasses, followed by shrubs, were the major component of the stomach contents. These dietary plants had higher N contents than those non-dietary plants of the corresponding plant category, which were present in the study site but never found in the stomach contents. Individual grass species of high occurrence in the stomach contents were Melinis minutiflora, Cynodon dactylon and Cyperus spp. Although more fibrous, these species had similar or relatively high N levels compared with native shrubs, except during summer. This suggests that W. bicolor selected dietary plants of high N content rather than low fibre content.