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Lehnert, K., R. Poulin, and B. Presswell. "Checklist of marine mammal parasites in New Zealand and Australian waters." Journal of Helminthology 93, no. 6 (June 24, 2019): 649–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x19000361.
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AbstractMarine mammals are long-lived top predators with vagile lifestyles, which often inhabit remote environments. This is especially relevant in the oceanic waters around New Zealand and Australia where cetaceans and pinnipeds are considered as vulnerable and often endangered due to anthropogenic impacts on their habitat. Parasitism is ubiquitous in wildlife, and prevalence of parasitic infections as well as emerging diseases can be valuable bioindicators of the ecology and health of marine mammals. Collecting information about parasite diversity in marine mammals will provide a crucial baseline for assessing their impact on host and ecosystem ecology. New studies on marine mammals in New Zealand and Australian waters have recently added to our knowledge of parasite prevalence, life cycles and taxonomic relationships in the Australasian region, and justify a first host–parasite checklist encompassing all available data. The present checklist comprises 36 species of marine mammals, and 114 species of parasites (helminths, arthropods and protozoans). Mammal species occurring in New Zealand and Australian waters but not included in the checklist represent gaps in our knowledge. The checklist thus serves both as a guide for what information is lacking, as well as a practical resource for scientists working on the ecology and conservation of marine mammals.
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Burbidge, A. A. "Conservation Values and Management of Australian Islands for Non-Volant Mammal Conservation." Australian Mammalogy 21, no. 1 (1999): 67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am99067.
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At least 16 species of Australian mammals have become extinct over the past 200 years. Without islands, however, this figure would be even worse as nine species that were formerly widespread on mainland Australia were or are restricted to land-bridge islands. In addition, 13 species and subspecies of endangered and vulnerable mainland mammals that still occur on the mainland have island populations, reducing their chance of extinction. In all, 43 islands protect 29 taxa of Australian threatened mammals. Since European settlement some island mammal populations have become extinct, while many new populations, of both Australian and exotic mammals, have been established. The extinction of island native mammal populations is significantly correlated with the introduction of exotic mammals. Management of islands needs to concentrate on four areas: quarantine, monitoring (of both native mammals and possible introduction of exotics), eradication of exotics and translocations of native species. Prevention of introduction and establishment of further exotics to important islands through quarantine procedures is vital, especially for islands with permanent or temporary human habitation. Eradication or control of existing exotics is required for many islands and eradication of further introductions, as soon after detection as possible, should be a high priority action for nature conservation agencies. Past exotic mammal eradications and needs for the future are discussed. Translocations of island mammal populations to the mainland should take place only where the species is extinct on the mainland. Translocation to islands, where translocation to or on the mainland is not feasible, is an important conservation technique. Islands with exotics can be of value for re-introduction of locally extinct mammals or introductions (marooning) of threatened species that are at risk from feral predators on the mainland once the exotics have been eliminated.
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M. J. S. Bowman, D., and J. C. Z. Woinarski. "Biogeography of Australian monsoon rainforest mammals: implications for the conservation of rainforest mammals." Pacific Conservation Biology 1, no. 2 (1994): 98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc940098.
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Monsoon rainforests form an archipelago of small habitat fragments throughout the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia. According to the definition of Winter (1988) the current monsoon rainforest mammal assemblage contains only one rainforest specialist mammal species (restricted to Cape York Peninsula), and is dominated by eutherian habitat generalists (murids and bats) that mostly occur in surrounding savannah habitats. The mammal assemblages in monsoon rainforests across northern Australia (Cape York Peninsula, Northern Territory and the Kimberley) are essentially regional subsets of the local savannah and mangrove mammal assemblages, and consequently share only a limited number of species in common (most of which are bats). The lack of rainforest specialists in northwestern Australia is thought to be due to: (i) the lack of large tracts (> 1 000 ha) of monsoon rainforest habitat; (ii) the possible substantial contraction of these habitats in the past; and (iii) the limited extent of gallery rainforests, such rainforests being important habitats for rainforest mammals in South American savannahs. Unfortunately it is not possible to identify the threshold of habitat area required to maintain populations of monsoon rainforest specialist mammal species because of an impoverished fossil record pertaining to the past spatial distribution of monsoon rainforests. The implications of the lack of a specialist mammal fauna in Australian monsoon rainforests for the future of heavily fragmented tropical rainforests elsewhere in the world is briefly discussed. It is concluded that the analogy of habitat fragments to true islands is weak, that rainforest plant species are less vulnerable to local extinction than mammals, that the loss of mammal rainforest specialists may not result in a dramatic loss of plant species, and that corridors of rainforest may be critical for maintenance of rainforest mammal assemblages in areas currently subject to forest clearance.
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Mills, Charlotte H., and Mike Letnic. "Reversing functional extinction of mammals prompts a rethink of paradigms about seed fate in arid Australia." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 1 (January 2018): 171977. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171977.
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Functional extinction of once abundant species has frequently preceded understanding of their ecological roles. Consequently, our understanding of ecosystems is prone to shifting baselines because it often relies on observations made on depauperate species assemblages. In Australian deserts, current paradigms are that ants are the dominant granivores, mammals are unimportant seed predators and that myrmecochory in many Australian shrubs is an adaptation to increase dispersal distance and direct seeds to favourable germination sites. Here, we ask whether these paradigms could be artefacts of mammal extinction. We take advantage of a predator-proof reserve within which locally extinct native mammals have been reintroduced to compare seed removal by ants and mammals. Using foraging trays that selectively excluded mammals and ants we show that a reintroduced mammal, the woylie ( Bettongia penicillata ) was at least as important as ants in the removal of seeds of two shrub species ( Dodonaea viscosa and Acacia ligulata ). Our results provide evidence that the dominance of ants as granivores and current understanding of the adaptive benefit of myrmecochory in arid Australia may be artefacts of the functional extinction of mammals. Our study shows how reversing functional extinction can provide the opportunity to rethink contemporary understanding of ecological processes.
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Schumann, Nicole, Nick J. Gales, Robert G. Harcourt, and John P. Y. Arnould. "Impacts of climate change on Australian marine mammals." Australian Journal of Zoology 61, no. 2 (2013): 146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo12131.
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Increasing evidence suggests that climate change is negatively affecting marine ecosystems and biota. However, little is known of how climate change will impact marine mammals. This review aims to identify the effects of climatic variations on Australian marine mammals and determine their potential responses to climate change. Shifts in distributions and reproductive success have been associated with climatic factors, while stranding events, drowning of seal pups, exposure to altered water conditions and disease in several marine mammal species have followed extreme weather events. Climate change may produce distributional shifts as the ranges of warm-water species expand or shift southwards, and those of cold-water species contract. Reductions in the extent of key habitats, changes in breeding success, a greater incidence of strandings in dugongs and cetaceans, and increased exposure of coastal species to pollutants and pathogens are likely. The capacity of Australian marine mammals to adapt to climate change is poorly understood, though there is evidence that several species may be able to modify their physiology or behaviour in response to warming temperatures. To increase the resilience of marine mammals, it is necessary to address non-climatic threats, such as ensuring that key habitats are protected in Australia.
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Bogdanowicz, Wiesław. "Mammals of Australia. Book review. D. W. Walton, B. J. Richardson (Eds.), 1989: Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service. 401-1227 pp." Acta Theriologica 37 (October 3, 1992): 102. http://dx.doi.org/10.4098/at.arch.92-11.
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Bell, Catherine, Peter Shaughnessy, Margie Morrice, and Bob Stanley. "Marine mammals and Japanese long-line fishing vessels in Australian waters: operational interactions and sightings." Pacific Conservation Biology 12, no. 1 (2006): 31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc060031.
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Observers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority worked on randomly chosen Japanese long-line vessels in the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) between 1980 and 1997. Observer reports (n = 451) were inspected for interactions or sightings of marine mammals. An operational interaction was defined as an activity or behaviour that involved direct contact between a marine mammal and fishing gear, bait, target fish or bycatch, or indications that the marine mammal was feeding. A sighting was defined as the recording of marine mammals that passed the vessel without changing course and/or did not appear to interact with the vessel or its gear. Observers witnessed 23 interactions and made another 44 sightings of marine mammals. A further 24 interactions and sightings were relayed by crew members. Killer whales were reported most frequently: most incidences of fish being damaged, taken or frightened away were attributed to them. Eleven marine mammals were caught: two died, seven were released, and the fate of two others was not recorded. Between 1991 and 1996, when observer coverage was 11.5% overall in the AFZ, the incidence of interactions was 1.71 per million hooks set. The estimated number of interactions in that seven-year period was 157 in the AFZ. Since 1997, the long-line fishery has been conducted by Australian vessels, primarily off the east coast of mainland Australia in warm-temperate waters. A higher proportion of interactions can be expected with killer whales and short-finned pilot whales in these waters, and fewer with seals.
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Obendorf, David, and James M. Harris. "Medicine of Australian Mammals." Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46, no. 3 (July 2010): 1060–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-46.3.1060.
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CLARIDGE, A. W., and T. W. MAY. "Mycophagy among Australian mammals." Austral Ecology 19, no. 3 (September 1994): 251–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1994.tb00489.x.
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Rick Alleman, A. "Haematology of Australian Mammals." Veterinary Clinical Pathology 34, no. 1 (March 2005): 72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-165x.2005.tb00015.x.
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Smith, Fraser D. M., Robert M. May, and Paul H. Harvey. "Geographical Ranges of Australian Mammals." Journal of Animal Ecology 63, no. 2 (April 1994): 441. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/5561.
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Murray, A. J., N. K. Waran, and R. J. Young. "Environmental Enrichment for Australian Mammals." Animal Welfare 7, no. 4 (November 1998): 415–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0962728600020959.
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AbstractMany of Australia's nocturnal mammals are rare or endangered in the wild. The behavioural integrity of captive populations of endangered species can be maintained through the application of environmental enrichment techniques. This study investigated the effectiveness of feeding enrichment in promoting behavioural diversity, enclosure usage and species-typical behaviours in the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) and the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis). Animals were observed for 300 min day-1 over three consecutive time periods: baseline (12 non-consecutive days); enrichment: (12 consecutive days); and post-enrichment: (12 non-consecutive days). The use of a live insect dispenser decreased grooming and increased out-of-sight and social behaviour in the ghost bat. Artificial gum trees promoted species-typical behaviours in the yellow-bellied glider. Enrichment for nocturnal mammals had variable results and different welfare implications for these animals.
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Banks, Peter B., Alexandra J. R. Carthey, and Jenna P. Bytheway. "Australian native mammals recognize and respond to alien predators: a meta-analysis." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285, no. 1885 (August 22, 2018): 20180857. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0857.
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Prey naiveté is a failure to recognize novel predators and thought to cause exaggerated impacts of alien predators on native wildlife. Yet there is equivocal evidence in the literature for native prey naiveté towards aliens. To address this, we conducted a meta-analysis of Australian mammal responses to native and alien predators. Australia has the world's worst record of extinction and declines of native mammals, largely owing to two alien predators introduced more than 150 years ago: the feral cat, Felis catus , and European red fox, Vulpes vulpes . Analysis of 94 responses to predator cues shows that Australian mammals consistently recognize alien foxes as a predation threat, possibly because of thousands of years of experience with another canid predator, the dingo, Canis lupus dingo . We also found recognition responses towards cats; however, in four of the seven studies available, these responses were of risk-taking behaviour rather than antipredator behaviour. Our results suggest that a simple failure to recognize alien predators is not behind the ongoing exaggerated impacts of alien predators in Australia. Instead, our results highlight an urgent need to better understand the appropriateness of antipredator responses in prey towards alien predators in order to understand native prey vulnerability.
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Woinarski, John C. Z., Andrew A. Burbidge, and Peter L. Harrison. "Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 15 (February 9, 2015): 4531–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1417301112.
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The highly distinctive and mostly endemic Australian land mammal fauna has suffered an extraordinary rate of extinction (>10% of the 273 endemic terrestrial species) over the last ∼200 y: in comparison, only one native land mammal from continental North America became extinct since European settlement. A further 21% of Australian endemic land mammal species are now assessed to be threatened, indicating that the rate of loss (of one to two extinctions per decade) is likely to continue. Australia’s marine mammals have fared better overall, but status assessment for them is seriously impeded by lack of information. Much of the loss of Australian land mammal fauna (particularly in the vast deserts and tropical savannas) has been in areas that are remote from human population centers and recognized as relatively unmodified at global scale. In contrast to general patterns of extinction on other continents where the main cause is habitat loss, hunting, and impacts of human development, particularly in areas of high and increasing human population pressures, the loss of Australian land mammals is most likely due primarily to predation by introduced species, particularly the feral cat, Felis catus, and European red fox, Vulpes vulpes, and changed fire regimes.
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Burbidge, Andrew A., and Ian Abbott. "Mammals on Western Australian islands: occurrence and preliminary analysis." Australian Journal of Zoology 65, no. 3 (2017): 183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo17046.
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We present a database of indigenous and non-indigenous terrestrial mammal records on Western Australian (WA) islands, updated from a database we published more than 20 years ago. The database includes records of 88 indigenous species on 155 islands, compared with 54 indigenous species on 141 WA islands in the paper by Abbott and Burbidge in CALMScience, Volume 1, pp. 259–324. The database also provides 266 records of 21 species of non-indigenous mammal species on 138 WA islands, more than double the number of records in the earlier review. Of the 33 threatened and near-threatened WA non-volant mammals, 16 occur naturally (and have persisted) on WA islands, five additional species occur on islands outside WA, 14 successful conservation translocations of 10 species have been undertaken to WA islands, and six species have been successfully translocated to 12 islands outside WA – two of which do not currently occur on WA islands. The house mouse now accounts for the largest number of extant records of non-indigenous species. Even with the increasing number of conservation translocations to mainland islands (fenced exclosures), WA islands remain essential for the effective conservation of several threatened and near-threatened mammals and many of the translocations to mainland islands have been sourced from islands.
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Thompson, Craig K., Stephanie S. Godfrey, and R. C. Andrew Thompson. "Trypanosomes of Australian mammals: A review." International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 3, no. 2 (August 2014): 57–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2014.02.002.
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MARTIN, JENNY. "Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management." Austral Ecology 30, no. 1 (February 2005): 128–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01413.x.
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Wilson, B. A., and G. R. Friend. "Responses of Australian Mammals to Disturbance: A Review." Australian Mammalogy 21, no. 1 (1999): 87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am99087.
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The Australian native mammal fauna has evolved in an environment where 'natural' or endogenous disturbance is ongoing and widespread, be it fire, flood, drought or cyclones. Since European settlement, however, the type, scale, frequency and intensity of disturbance has changed and added a new suite of exogenous impacts including introduced predators and herbivores, vegetation clearance, habitat fragmentation, altered fire regimes, grazing and timber harvesting. This has presented novel and significant adaptive challenges to native mammals over a compressed time-scale, resulting in major extinctions, population declines and disruption to community structure. In this paper we examine the ecology of Australian mammals in the context of these new disturbances, and compare the response patterns observed, and assess the processes operating. In general, Australian mammalian successional patterns are closely tied to vegetation regeneration, which is related to the degree of disruption. Disturbances such as predation do not fall within this pattern. Mammalian successional states vary between different disturbance types within an ecosystem, depending on the critical elements of vegetation structure and composition. Landscape and climatic factors also affect successional patterns and need to be further investigated.
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Bannister, Hannah L., Catherine E. Lynch, and Katherine E. Moseby. "Predator swamping and supplementary feeding do not improve reintroduction success for a threatened Australian mammal, Bettongia lesueur." Australian Mammalogy 38, no. 2 (2016): 177. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am15020.
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Broad-scale Australian mammal declines following European settlement have resulted in many species becoming regionally or globally extinct. Attempts to reintroduce native mammals are often unsuccessful due to a suboptimal number of founders being used, high rates of predation and a lack of knowledge of the reintroduction biology for the species concerned. We trialled predator swamping and supplementary feeding in an attempt to offset predation and improve reintroduction success for the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur) in arid South Australia. We compared population longevity of a large release group (1266 animals) with five releases of smaller groups (~50 animals at each). We compared release sites with (n = 5) and without (n = 1) supplementary food to determine whether site fidelity, body condition and reproduction were affected, and whether these traits aided population establishment. Predator swamping did not facilitate reintroduction success, with no bettongs detected more than 122 days after release. While supplementary food increased site fidelity and persistence at release sites, bettongs failed to establish successfully at any site. Neither predator swamping nor supplementary feeding enhanced reintroduction success at our sites but results suggested that supplementary feeding should be explored as an aid to reintroduction success for Australian mammals.
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Liddle, Nerida R., Matthew C. McDowell, and Gavin J. Prideaux. "Insights into the pre-European mammalian fauna of the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia." Australian Mammalogy 40, no. 2 (2018): 262. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am17035.
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Many Australian mammal species have suffered significant declines since European colonisation. During the first century of settlement, information on species distribution was rarely recorded. However, fossil accumulations can assist the reconstruction of historical distributions. We examine a fossil vertebrate assemblage from Mair’s Cave, one of few known from the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The Mair’s Cave assemblage was dominated by mammals but also included birds and reptiles. Of the 18 mammals recovered, two have not previously been recorded from the southern Flinders Ranges, at least one is extinct and seven are recognised as threatened nationally. Characteristics of the assemblage suggest that it was accumulated by a Tyto owl species. Remains of Tyto delicatula and a larger unidentified owl were recovered from the assemblage. Most mammals identified from the assemblage presently occupy Australia’s semiarid zone, but a single specimen of the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus), which primarily occurs in high-moisture, low-temperature environments was also recovered. This suggests either that the southern Flinders Ranges once experienced higher past precipitation, or that M. fuscus can tolerate a broader climatic range than its current distribution suggests. Our study contributes new knowledge on the biogeography and ecology of several mammal species, data useful for helping to refine restoration targets.
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Alfonzetti, Matthew, Malin C. Rivers, Tony D. Auld, Tom Le Breton, Tim Cooney, Stephanie Stuart, Heidi Zimmer, et al. "Shortfalls in extinction risk assessments for plants." Australian Journal of Botany 68, no. 6 (2020): 466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt20106.
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Research on species recovery, reintroduction, and conservation disproportionally focusses on birds and mammals. Typically, less attention is given to hyper-diverse but ecologically important groups such as plants and invertebrates. In this study, we focussed on a continent with one of the world’s highest proportions of endemic plant species (Australia) comparing the number of extinction risk assessments relative to birds and mammals. Specifically, we generated a checklist of Australian endemic vascular plants and used three resources which differ in styles and scope to collate information on how many have an extinction risk assessment – the ThreatSearch database, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, (EPBC Act). Between 76 and 93% of endemic Australian plants examined lack an extinction risk assessment based on data from our three sources. We also compared the proportions of endemic plants assessed relative to birds and mammals. Of all endemic plant taxa examined, only 6.8% have been assessed under the EPBC Act, compared with 9.4% of birds and 28.9% of mammals. Similarly, only 8.8% of endemic plants have been assessed for the IUCN Red List, compared with 29.1% of birds and 61.1% of mammals, whereas all birds and mammals have been examined in National Action Plans. This represents a significant underestimation of the actual proportion of Australian endemic plants that are likely to satisfy extinction-risk criteria for listing as threatened. This shortfall in risk assessments for plants is a matter of international significance for conservation given Australia’s high rate of plant endemism. A change in policy and approach to assessing extinction risk is needed to ensure adequate assessment effort across different taxonomic groups.
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Cowan, P. E., and C. H. Tyndale-Biscoe. "Australian and New Zealand mammal species considered to be pests or problems." Reproduction, Fertility and Development 9, no. 1 (1997): 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/r96058.
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In New Zealand and Australia, 25 and 16 introduced mammals are viewed as pests, respectively, as well as a further 17 native mammals in Australia. Most introductions were deliberate and the deleterious effects became apparent later. These pests affect primary production, act as a sylvatic reservoir of disease, cause degradation of natural ecosystems, or threaten rare or endangered native animals and plants. Many species have multiple impacts. In Australia, some native mammals, particularly kangaroos and wallabies, are also controlled because of their adverse impacts on primary production. In both countries, current control depends largely on the use of poisons, shooting, the spread of disease (in the case of rabbits), trapping, habitat alteration, and commercial or recreational hunting. Methods of control by interfering with fertility (immunocontraception) are currently being investigated for rabbits, house mice, foxes, and kangaroos in Australia, and for the brushtail possum in New Zealand. If these methods prove effective, they may be applied to other mammal pests, but the need to tailor the particular approach to the ecology and behaviour of the species means that there will be a necessarily long lead time
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Delport, Tiffany C., Michelle L. Power, Robert G. Harcourt, Koa N. Webster, and Sasha G. Tetu. "Colony Location and Captivity Influence the Gut Microbial Community Composition of the Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea)." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 82, no. 12 (April 1, 2016): 3440–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.00192-16.
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ABSTRACTGut microbiota play an important role in maintenance of mammalian metabolism and immune system regulation, and disturbances to this community can have adverse impacts on animal health. To better understand the composition of gut microbiota in marine mammals, fecal bacterial communities of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea), an endangered pinniped with localized distribution, were examined. A comparison of samples from individuals across 11 wild colonies in South and Western Australia and three Australian captive populations showed five dominant bacterial phyla:Firmicutes,Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Actinobacteria, andFusobacteria. The phylumFirmicuteswas dominant in both wild (76.4% ± 4.73%) and captive animals (61.4% ± 10.8%), whileProteobacteriacontributed more to captive (29.3% ± 11.5%) than to wild (10.6% ± 3.43%) fecal communities. Qualitative differences were observed between fecal communities from wild and captive animals based on principal-coordinate analysis. SIMPER (similarity percentage procedure) analyses indicated that operational taxonomic units (OTU) from the bacterial familiesClostridiaceaeandRuminococcaceaewere more abundant in wild than in captive animals and contributed most to the average dissimilarity between groups (SIMPER contributions of 19.1% and 10.9%, respectively). Differences in the biological environment, the foraging site fidelity, and anthropogenic impacts may provide various opportunities for unique microbial establishment in Australian sea lions. As anthropogenic disturbances to marine mammals are likely to increase, understanding the potential for such disturbances to impact microbial community compositions and subsequently affect animal health will be beneficial for management of these vulnerable species.IMPORTANCEThe Australian sea lion is an endangered species for which there is currently little information regarding disease and microbial ecology. In this work, we present an in-depth study of the fecal microbiota of a large number of Australian sea lions from geographically diverse wild and captive populations. Colony location and captivity were found to influence the gut microbial community compositions of these animals. Our findings significantly extend the baseline knowledge of marine mammal gut microbiome composition and variability.
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Geyle, Hayley M., John C. Z. Woinarski, G. Barry Baker, Chris R. Dickman, Guy Dutson, Diana O. Fisher, Hugh Ford, et al. "Quantifying extinction risk and forecasting the number of impending Australian bird and mammal extinctions." Pacific Conservation Biology 24, no. 2 (2018): 157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc18006.
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A critical step towards reducing the incidence of extinction is to identify and rank the species at highest risk, while implementing protective measures to reduce the risk of extinction to such species. Existing global processes provide a graded categorisation of extinction risk. Here we seek to extend and complement those processes to focus more narrowly on the likelihood of extinction of the most imperilled Australian birds and mammals. We considered an extension of existing IUCN and NatureServe criteria, and used expert elicitation to rank the extinction risk to the most imperilled species, assuming current management. On the basis of these assessments, and using two additional approaches, we estimated the number of extinctions likely to occur in the next 20 years. The estimates of extinction risk derived from our tighter IUCN categorisations, NatureServe assessments and expert elicitation were poorly correlated, with little agreement among methods for which species were most in danger – highlighting the importance of integrating multiple approaches when considering extinction risk. Mapped distributions of the 20 most imperilled birds reveal that most are endemic to islands or occur in southern Australia. The 20 most imperilled mammals occur mostly in northern and central Australia. While there were some differences in the forecasted number of extinctions in the next 20 years among methods, all three approaches predict further species loss. Overall, we estimate that another seven Australian mammals and 10 Australian birds will be extinct by 2038 unless management improves.
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Johnson, Robert. "Current Therapy in Medicine of Australian Mammals." Journal of Wildlife Diseases 56, no. 1 (January 6, 2020): 257. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-56.1.257.
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Geiser, Fritz, and Gerhard Körtner. "Hibernation and daily torpor in Australian mammals." Australian Zoologist 35, no. 2 (January 2010): 204–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.7882/az.2010.009.
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Vernes, K., and S. Jackson. "Dictionary of Australian and New Guinea Mammals." Australian Mammalogy 29, no. 2 (2007): 252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/amv29n2_br2.
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Smith, David W. "Arboviruses." Microbiology Australia 39, no. 2 (2018): 65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ma18018.
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Arboviruses are established as important causes of human and animal disease within Australia, as well as being high on the list of important emerging and exotic risk to Australia. They have been an integral part of the Australian ecological environment and evolved with it, adapting to our environment, to our arthropods, to our birds and to our mammals.
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Baynes, A., and RF Baird. "The original mammal fauna and some information on the original bird fauna of Uluru National Park, Northern Territory." Rangeland Journal 14, no. 2 (1992): 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9920092.
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Investigation of mammal bones, accumulated mainly by owls, from four cave deposits, combined with observations and museum records, has revealed an original (i.e. immediately pre-European) fauna for Uluru National Park (UNP) of 34 species of native ground mammals and 12 species of bats. This fauna comprises one monotreme, 22 marsupials from eight families, 12 microchiropterans from four families, 10 murid rodents and the dingo. For six of the species the UNP records represent an extension of range over published distribution maps, though originally all the ground mammals were probably widespread in the arid zone. A recent survey found that the present fauna of UNP includes 15 native ground mammals and a minimum of seven bats, indicating a loss in about the last century of up to 19 species of ground mammals and at least one bat. The local status of three of these is uncertain, 10 appear to be locally extinct, two are extinct throughout the Australian mainland and five are probably totally extinct. As elsewhere in the arid zone, the mammals that survive are the largest and smallest species and the echidna. The cave deposit sites yielded two orders of magnitude fewer bird remains, some of which could not be identified below family or genus. The material includes at least 16 species representing 13 families. All identified species were recorded in the present fauna of UNP by the recent survey. This relatively small sample suggests that in non-pastoral areas of the arid zone, bird faunas, unlike mammals, have so far survived European colonisation of Australia without loss of diversity.
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Firestone, K. "Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management. Jackson S., A Review by Karen Firestone." Australian Mammalogy 27, no. 1 (2005): 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am05103_br.
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MY first impressions when I saw this book was ?what a remarkable achievement? and ?I want one for my library?. The author of this book, Stephen Jackson, hails from a long association with the zoo industry having worked for many years at Taronga Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary and more recently with the Animal Welfare Unit of the NSW Department of Primary Industries, so he comes with a commanding knowledge of the requirements for captive management of Australian mammals. He has spent considerable time formulating this volume; it is nicely presented, thorough in scope and clearly very authoritative. However, while expert information does not come cheap, the price of this book (are you sitting down?) at $240 puts it well out of the price range of many. I?m still gasping. This book is marketed for (generally underpaid) zookeepers, veterinarians, zoologists, researchers and students, but this price restricts it to being a specialist reference volume purchased by a limited number of users, zoological institutions, and university libraries with good acquisitions budgets. This is unfortunate as every wildlife carer, zoo, and breeding facility (in Australia and elsewhere) that holds or breeds Australian mammals should have one of these volumes. It would be fantastic to see a complete series of these ?Biology and Captive Management? books: Australian Birds: Biology and Captive Management, Australian reptiles..., Australian insects... etc.
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Shaughnessy, P. D. "New mammals recognised for Australia - Antarctic and Subantarctic Fur Seals Arctocephalus species." Australian Mammalogy 15, no. 1 (1992): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am92010.
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Recent authoritative texts on Australian mammals include several pinniped species but most omit the Antarctic Fur Seal Arctocephalus gazella and Subantarctic Fur Seal A. tropicalis. The former species breeds at Heard Island; at Macquarie Island it breeds in territories with A. tropicalis. Information is tabulated on skulls of these two species held in Australian museums. It is argued that they should be included in comprehensive lists of Australian mammals.
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Dickman, Christopher R., Sarah M. Legge, and John C. Z. Woinarski. "Assessing Risks to Wildlife from Free-Roaming Hybrid Cats: The Proposed Introduction of Pet Savannah Cats to Australia as a Case Study." Animals 9, no. 10 (October 14, 2019): 795. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani9100795.
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Hybrid cats—created by crossing different species within the family Felidae—are popular pets, but they could potentially threaten native species if they escape and establish free-roaming populations. To forestall this possibility, the Australian government imposed a specific ban on importation of the savannah cat, a hybrid created by crossing the domestic cat Felis catus and serval Leptailurus serval, in 2008. We develop a decision–framework that identifies those species of non-volant native mammals in Australia that would likely have been susceptible to predation by savannah cats if importation and establishment had occurred. We assumed that savannah cats would hunt ecologically similar prey to those that are depredated by both the domestic cat and the serval, and categorised native mammals as having different levels of susceptibility to predation by savannah cats based on their size, habitat range, and behaviour. Using this framework, we assessed savannah cats as likely to add at least 28 extant native mammal species to the 168 that are known already to be susceptible to predation by the domestic cat, posing a risk to 91% of Australia’s extant non-volant terrestrial mammal species (n = 216) and to 93% of threatened mammal species. The framework could be generalised to assess risks from any other hybrid taxa.
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Riley, J., DM Spratt, and PJA Presidente. "Pentastomids (Arthropoda) Parasitic in Australian Reptiles and Mammals." Australian Journal of Zoology 33, no. 1 (1985): 39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9850039.
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Records of pentastomid arthropods parasitic in Australian reptiles and mammals are reviewed, with particular reference to material collected recently. Specimens representative of six genera are described. Sebekia sp. from the estuarine crocodile, Crocodylusporosus, is the first record of the genus in Australia and probably represents a new species. A nymph with double hooks, from the dasyurid marsupial Satanellus hallucatus, is determined as Waddycephalus sp. This represents the first evidence of double hooks in nymphal forms of the genus and of the role of marsupials as intermediate hosts of Waddycephalus. Nymphs from the peramelid marsupial, Isoodon macrourus, and from S, hallucatus are determined as Armillifer australis Riley & Self, 1981; those from Perameles nasuta are identified as A. arborealis Riley & Self, 1981. These represent the first records of marsupials as intermediate hosts of Armillifer. Adults of the genus Elenia Heymons, 1932 are confirmed as parasites of varanid lizards. E. australis Heymons, 1932 is recognized and it is suggested that specimens described by Heymons (1939), allegedly from Varanus varius at Townsville, Qld, may represent a new species. The cosmopolitan porocephalid Linguatula serrata Frolich, 1789 is recorded from the nasopharynx of the dingo or wild dog and the validity of the indigenous species, L. dingophila Johnson, 1910 is discussed. The cephalobaenid Raillietiella amphiboluri Mahon, 1954 is reported from Amphibolurus barbatus.
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Harman, AM. "The Optic Chiasm of Australian Marsupials." Australian Journal of Zoology 43, no. 5 (1995): 467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9950467.
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The optic chiasm of mammals is the region of the nervous system in which optic axons have a choice of route, either they enter the optic tract on the same side of the brain or they cross the chiasm and enter the opposite optic tract. in eutherian (placental) mammals, axons approach the midline of the chiasm and then either continue across the chiasm or turn back to enter the tract on the same side of the brain. The midline of the chiasm provides guidance cues that repel uncrossed but not crossed axons. However, it has recently been shown that in a marsupial, the quokka wallaby, axons destined to stay on the same side of the brain remain in the lateral part of the optic nerve and chiasm and never approach the midline. The structure of the chiasm reflects this partitioning of axons with different routes by having a tripartite structure. The two lateral regions contain only uncrossed axons in rostral chiasmatic regions and the central region contains only crossed axons. Therefore, axons passing through the chiasm of this species must use guidance cues that differ from those of eutherian mammals. Here I show that the chiasms of species of both diprotodont and polyprotodont Australian marsupials have a similar tripartite structure and that uncrossed axons are confined to lateral regions. It seems likely, therefore, that the chiasm of marsupials has fundamental differences in structure and optic axon trajectory compared with that of eutherian mammals studied to date.
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Roshier, David A., Felicity L. Hotellier, Andrew Carter, Leah Kemp, Joanne Potts, Matt W. Hayward, and Sarah M. Legge. "Long-term benefits and short-term costs: small vertebrate responses to predator exclusion and native mammal reintroductions in south-western New South Wales, Australia." Wildlife Research 47, no. 8 (2020): 570. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr19153.
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Abstract ContextThe success of conservation fences at protecting reintroduced populations of threatened mammals from introduced predators has prompted an increase in the number and extent of fenced exclosures. Excluding introduced species from within conservation fences could also benefit components of insitu faunal assemblages that are prey for introduced predators, such as reptiles and small mammals. Conversely, reintroduced mammals may compete with smaller mammals and reptiles for resources, or even prey on them. AimsIn a 10-year study from 2008, we examine how small terrestrial vertebrates respond to the exclusion of introduced predators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes Vulpes), introduced herbivores and the reintroduction of regionally extinct mammal species. MethodsDifferences in the yearly relative abundance of reptiles and mammals according to habitat type and whether sites were fenced or not, were tested using multivariate generalised linear models. Next, we calculated univariate P-values to identify individual species that showed significant relationships, positive and negative, with any of the explanatory variables. Key resultsTotal captures of reptiles were lower inside the conservation fence in all years, whereas total captures of small mammals were markedly higher inside the fenced area, notably in dasyurids. ConclusionOur results showed that conservation fences can deliver benefits for some fauna (but not all) beyond facilitating the reintroduction of highly threatened mammals. ImplicationsOur results demonstrated the consequential impacts of introduced predators on the Australian small mammal fauna, and showed that predator-exclusion fences can be an effective conservation intervention for this guild.
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Cumming, S. "Forest Issues 2: Conserving Hollow-dependent Fauna in Timber-production Forests (Environmental Heritage Monograph Series No 3)." Pacific Conservation Biology 4, no. 4 (1998): 369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc980369.
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In the absence of primary excavators, such as woodpeckers, the formation of tree-hollows suitable for occupation by hollow-dependent fauna in Australia may take several hundred years. However, intervals between logging operations in timberproduction forests are typically between 40 and 120 years with the result that hollow-dependent fauna are threatened over large areas of Australia's eucalypt forests. Many species of mammals, birds and invertebrates depend upon tree hollows for dens, roosting or nesting, and habitat. Therefore, there is a strong need to retain and conserve suitable hollowbearing trees within Australian forests in the face of increasingly more intensive and destructive timber harvesting practices.
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Goldingay, RL, SM Carthew, and RJ Whelan. "Transfer of Banksia-Spinulosa Pollen by Mammals - Implications for Pollination." Australian Journal of Zoology 35, no. 4 (1987): 319. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9870319.
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Native mammals have been implicated by various authors as visitors to flowers of Australian plants in both eastern and western Australia, but few data are available to allow an estimation of their potential as pollinators. In the present study, Antechinus stuartii, Petaurus breviceps and Rattus fuscipes were regularly trapped in flowering Banksia spinulosa. A few Cercartetus nanus were also captured. Individuals of all species carried pollen on their fur. Pollen loads were greater on mammals which had been in traps for short periods, which suggests that mammals will groom pollen from their fur if left longer in traps. Therefore, pollen loads on foraging mammals have probably been dramatically underestimated by previous authors, and their potential to effect pollination may have been greatly underestimated. Furthermore, significantly more pollen was removed from flowers of B. spinulosa at night than during the day, suggesting the importance of nocturnal pollinators at this site.
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Burbidge, Andrew, Matthew Williams, and Ian Abbott. "Mammals of Australian islands: factors influencing species richness." Journal of Biogeography 24, no. 6 (October 31, 2003): 703–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00145.x.
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Crompton, Alfred W. "Masticatory Motor Programs in Australian Herbivorous Mammals: Diprotodontia." Integrative and Comparative Biology 51, no. 2 (June 22, 2011): 271–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/icr028.
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Tets, Ian G., and Robert J. Whelan. "Banksia pollen in the diet of Australian mammals." Ecography 20, no. 5 (October 1997): 499–505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1997.tb00418.x.
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Archer, M., R. Arena, M. Bassarova, K. Black, J. Brammall, B. Cooke, P. Creaser, et al. "The Evolutionary History and Diversity of Australian Mammals." Australian Mammalogy 21, no. 1 (1999): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am99001.
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Palaeodiversity and relationships of all groups of Australian mammals are reviewed. The fossil record spanning this time is of variable quality. 'Dark Ages' about which nothing is known in terms of Australian mammal evolution include the late Triassic to late Jurassic, late Cretaceous to late Paleocene and middle Eocene to middle Oligocene. Very little is known about the early Cretaceous and late Miocene. The late Oligocene to middle Miocene record documents the highest levels of biodiversity known for the continent, comparable to that which characterises the lowland rainforests of Borneo and Brazil. Order Monotremata spans at least the last 110 million years and includes four families. The enigmatic Ausktribosphenos from 115 million-year-old sediments in Victoria may represent an archaic monotreme, specialised peramurid or previously undocumented order of mammals but is unlikely to represent a placental as suggested in the initial description. Order Microbiotheria is represented in the early Eocene (~55 mya) by two genera similar in morphology to early Eocene taxa from Argentina. Order Peramelemorphia spans the early Eocene to Holocene and includes at least five families. Order Dasyuromorphia spans at least the late Oligocene to Holocene and includes at least three families. Other dasyuromorphian-like marsupials are indeterminate in terms of family-level affinities. Order Notoryctemorphia spans the early Miocene to Holocene with one family. Order Yalkaparidontia spans the late Oligocene to middle Miocene with one genus. Order Diprotodontia spans the late Oligocene to Holocene, represented throughout by three major groups: Phalangerida (eight families), Vombatomorphia (seven families) and Macropodoidea (at least three families). A possible placental condylarth (Tingamarra) has been recorded from the early Eocene. An archaeonycteridid bat (Australonycteris) is known from the early Eocene. Among bats, the late Oligocene to middle Miocene is dominated by rhinolophoids, many of which have European, Asian and African affinities. Mystacinids, megadermatids, hipposiderids and molossids are well-represented in the Oligocene to Miocene deposits. Vespertilionids are uncommon in the Oligocene to Miocene but become more diverse in the Pliocene to Holocene. Emballonurids and rhinolophids appear for the first time in the Plio-Pleistocene. Pteropodids are unknown prior to the Holocene. Murids span the early Pliocene to Holocene. In the oldest assemblage at Riversleigh, one undescribed lineage resembles archaic forms otherwise only known from the fossil records of Africa and Eurasia.
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Geiser, F. "The role of torpor in the life of Australian arid zone mammals." Australian Mammalogy 26, no. 2 (2004): 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am04125.
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Approximately half of the Australian continent is arid and is characterised by low primary productivity, limited supply of food and pronounced daily fluctuations of ambient temperature (Ta). Despite these adverse conditions the diversity of small mammals in the Australian arid zone is high, although their abundance is generally low. The most successful groups of small arid zone mammals are the dasyurid marsupials, native rodents, and insectivorous bats. A probable reason for the success of the insectivorous dasyurids and bats, which must cope with strong fluctuations in food and water availability, is their extensive use of torpor. Mammalian torpor is characterised by substantial reductions of body temperature (Tb) metabolic rate (MR) and water loss. Small arid zone dasyurids use exclusively daily torpor, some even during the reproductive season, when most mammals maintain strict homeothermy. Dasyurids reduce Tb from ~ 35�C during normothermia to ~ 15�C during torpor, the MR during torpor (TMR) is ~ 30% of basal metabolic rate (BMR). Mass loss, and thus water loss, is related to the duration of torpor bouts. Dasyurids usually enter torpor at night or in the early morning and arouse around midday or in the afternoon. Recent evidence shows that desert dasyurids may bask in the sun during rewarming from torpor. This can minimise energetic cost of arousal to a fraction of that required for endogenous warming. Arid zone bats are also likely to use torpor extensively, but few species, specific to the arid zone, have been studied. Nevertheless, widely distributed bats that occur in the arid zone, such as Nyctophilus geoffroyi, enter brief torpor for part of the day in summer and prolonged torpor (hibernation) for up to two weeks in winter and can reduce Tb to a minimum of 2 - 3�C and TMR to ~ 3% of BMR; mass loss and water loss are minimal during torpor. Patterns of torpor similar to those in bats also have been observed in the insectivorous echidnas and two species of insectivorous / nectarivorous pygmy-possums, which have distribution ranges that include semi-arid and arid areas. In contrast to these species, no detailed information is available on torpor in native Australian rodents, because little work with respect to torpor has been conducted in Australia. However, many arid zone rodents on other continents employ torpor and it is likely that Australian rodents do as well. In addition to reducing energy expenditure and water loss, use of torpor also appears to prolong life span. This is important for bridging adverse conditions and for subsequent re-colonization of areas after droughts and fires in inland Australia. Thus it appears that the success of small insectivorous/nectarivorous mammals and perhaps rodents in the Australian arid zone is partially due to their use of torpor.
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Woinarski, J. C. Z., S. M. Legge, L. A. Woolley, R. Palmer, C. R. Dickman, J. Augusteyn, T. S. Doherty, et al. "Predation by introduced cats Felis catus on Australian frogs: compilation of species records and estimation of numbers killed." Wildlife Research 47, no. 8 (2020): 580. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr19182.
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Abstract ContextWe recently estimated the numbers of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats (Felis catus) in Australia, with these assessments providing further evidence that cats have significant impacts on Australian wildlife. No previous studies have estimated the numbers of frogs killed by cats in Australia and there is limited comparable information from elsewhere in the world. AimsWe sought to (1) estimate the numbers of frogs killed by cats in Australia and (2) compile a list of Australian frog species known to be killed by cats. MethodsFor feral cats, we estimated the number of frogs killed from information on their frequency of occurrence in 53 cat dietary studies (that examined stomach contents), the mean number of frogs in dietary samples that contained frogs, and the numbers of cats in Australia. We collated comparable information for take of frogs by pet cats, but the information base was far sparser. Key resultsFrogs were far more likely to be reported in studies that sampled cat stomachs than cat scats. The mean frequency of occurrence of frogs in cat stomachs was 1.5%. The estimated annual per capita consumption by feral cats in Australia’s natural environments is 44 frogs, and, hence, the annual total take is estimated at 92 million frogs. The estimated annual per capita consumption by pet cats is 0.26 frogs, for a total annual kill of one million frogs by pet cats. Thirty native frog species (13% of the Australian frog fauna) are known to be killed by cats: this tally does not include any of the 51 threatened frog species, but this may simply be because no cat dietary studies have occurred within the small ranges typical of threatened frog species. ConclusionsThe present study indicated that cats in Australia kill nearly 100 million frogs annually, but further research is required to understand the conservation significance of such predation rates. ImplicationsThe present study completed a set of reviews of the impacts of cats on Australian terrestrial vertebrates. Cat predation on Australian frogs is substantial, but is likely to be markedly less than that on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals.
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Preece, Noel, and James Fitzsimons. "Gaps in Monitoring Leave Northern Australian Mammal Fauna with Uncertain Futures." Diversity 14, no. 3 (February 23, 2022): 158. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14030158.
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Northern Australian biomes hold high biodiversity values within largely intact vegetation complexes, yet many species of mammals, and some other taxa, are endangered. Recently, six mammal species were added to the 20 or so already listed in the Australian endangered category. Current predictions suggest that nine species of mammal in northern Australia are in imminent danger of extinction within 20 years. We examine the robustness of the assumptions of status and trends in light of the low levels of monitoring of species and ecosystems across northern Australia, including monitoring the effects of management actions. The causes of the declines include a warming climate, pest species, changed fire regimes, grazing by introduced herbivores, and diseases, and work to help species and ecosystems recover is being conducted across the region. Indigenous custodians who work on the land have the potential and capacity to provide a significant human resource to tackle the challenge of species recovery. By working with non-Indigenous researchers and conservation managers, and with adequate support and incentives, many improvements in species’ downward trajectories could be made. We propose a strategy to establish a network of monitoring sites based on a pragmatic approach by prioritizing particular bioregions. The policies that determine research and monitoring investment need to be re-set and new and modified approaches need to be implemented urgently. The funding needs to be returned to levels that are adequate for the task. At present resourcing levels, species are likely to become extinct through an avoidable attrition process.
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McDonald, Kye, Scott Burnett, and Wayne Robinson. "Utility of owl pellets for monitoring threatened mammal communities: an Australian case study." Wildlife Research 40, no. 8 (2013): 685. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr13041.
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Context Predictive modelling of the impacts of climate change has highlighted a need for on-ground monitoring of mammal communities within the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland to inform wildlife conservation management. Standard mammal-survey techniques are labour intensive and often incapable of detecting rare, trap-shy or otherwise elusive species, effectively rendering them invisible to researchers even when substantial resources are applied. Aims To assess the utility of feeding remains (regurgitated pellets) from lesser sooty owls, Tyto tenebricosa multipunctata, for monitoring populations of small to medium-sized mammals within the Wet Tropics. Methods Three female lesser sooty owls were radio-tracked to determine home-range areas. Radio-tracking and targeted systematic searches were used to locate diurnal roosts containing owl pellets from which prey species were identified. Owl-pellet data were directly compared with live-trap data within three putative owl home ranges. Additionally, analyses of a dataset spanning more than 15 years demonstrated the utility of owl-pellet data for monitoring mammal communities. Key results Owl-pellet surveys yielded 14 mammal species (840 individuals) from 152 man-hours, compared with six mammal species (361 individuals) from 194 man-hours of live trapping. Both survey methods identified Rattus fuscipes, Melomys spp. and Antechinus spp. as the most abundant species but live-trap data were found to under-represent relative abundance of Melomys spp. and over-represent relative abundance of R. fuscipes in comparison to owl-pellet data. Conclusions Analysis of lesser sooty owl pellets is a particularly useful method for compilation of species inventories of small to medium-sized mammals, being more effective than standard live-trapping surveys within the rainforests of the Wet Tropics. Implications Owl-pellet analysis is well suited for monitoring mammal communities, as long as periodic data are collected from the same roost(s) and the pellets have been deposited by the same individual bird(s). Additional research relating to variability in behavioural traits between individual lesser sooty owls that have potential to confound results via sampling bias must be undertaken before owl-pellet data can be used for comparison of mammal community structure among sites, or for monitoring a site over a period spanning a change in the individual owls that are depositing pellets at that site.
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Cardillo, Marcel, and Lindell Bromham. "Body Size and Risk of Extinction in Australian Mammals." Conservation Biology 15, no. 5 (July 7, 2008): 1435–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2001.00286.x.
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Woinarski, John C. Z., Andrew A. Burbidge, and Peter L. Harrison. "A review of the conservation status of Australian mammals." Therya 6, no. 1 (January 30, 2015): 155–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.12933/therya-15-237.
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Cardillo, Marcel, and Lindell Bromham. "Body Size and Risk of Extinction in Australian Mammals." Conservation Biology 15, no. 5 (October 20, 2001): 1435–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.00286.x.
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Gordon, David M., and Joannah Lee. "The genetic structure of enteric bacteria from Australian mammals." Microbiology 145, no. 10 (October 1, 1999): 2673–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00221287-145-10-2673.
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Shamsi, Shokoofeh, Robin Gasser, and Ian Beveridge. "Genetic characterisation and taxonomy of species of Anisakis (Nematoda:Anisakidae) parasitic in Australian marine mammals." Invertebrate Systematics 26, no. 2 (2012): 204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/is11019.
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Three species of Anisakis from Australian marine mammals, including Anisakis brevispiculata, A. simplex C and A. pegreffii, are described and characterised genetically on the basis of sequence data for the first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear rDNA. Parasite specimens were collected from Delphinus delphis, Tursiops truntatus and Kogia sima in Australia. A. brevispiculata is reported for the first time in Australia. However, analyses of sequence data suggests that A. brevispiculata in Australia is genetically distinct from specimens considered to represent the same species from other parts of the world. Fourth larval and adult stages of A. pegreffii were found in dolphins. Assigning larvae to A. pegreffii was based on the ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequences. A description of these larvae also is provided. Furthermore, fourth-stage larvae of A. simplex C were found in Kogia sima. Alignments of ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequences for members of A. simplex sensu lato revealed that nucleotide differences in ITS-1 can be used to differentiate among members of A. simplex sensu lato. This study reinforces the use of a combined molecular and morphological approach for the specific identification of anisakid nematodes.