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Tuesday 29 June, 2021
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Vol 15 No 25
Phascogales peeking from a nest box and inset, tree dwelling Brush-tailed phascogales. Photos William Terry
A Hollow Victory
A vulnerable native marsupial you may have never heard of is facing habitat loss across the country, but researchers have found an interesting way to help the species survive. The brush-tailed phascogale, also known as the tuan, common wambenger or black-tailed mousesack, is a carnivorous marsupial around the size of a rat, and lives in open woodlands along the Great Dividing Range. Locally, it is also known to frequent the Brisbane Ranges. The species is “threatened with extinction” according to PhD researcher William Terry, with habitat loss, climate change, and predators such as foxes and feral cats the main hazards. “As a result of logging and severe bushfires, Australian wildlife is facing a severe shortage of tree hollows — holes in the trunks and branches of large old trees. More than 300
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species of birds and mammals, including possums, bats, cockatoos, owls, and kookaburras, rely on tree hollows for shelter or breeding,” Mr Terry said. That includes phascogales, but Mr Terry’s research has found that artificial hollows made with chainsaws are providing an effective substitute. Research conducted by Mr Terry and Dr Tingbao Xu indicates that “areas with a phascogale-friendly climate would decline by up to 79 per cent in Queensland, 67 per cent in Victoria and 17 per cent in NSW, by 2070” – but tree hollows provide some respite from the heat. For his artificial hollows project, Mr Terry had 45 chainsaw hollows carved into dry forests and woodland where phascogales are known to live. The more commonly used ‘nest boxes’ were also installed, and the research team
monitored both for two and a half years. The results confirmed that the new chainsaw hollows provided better protection from extreme temperatures, with phascogales, sugar gliders and other species showing a notable preference for the chainsaw hollows over the nest boxes. Mr Terry said the findings were promising, but more work was needed to help conserve the brush-tailed phascogale. “Like nest boxes, the chainsaw hollows showed signs they would be only an interim measure, requiring maintenance with bark growing over entrance holes and issues with a build-up of moisture,” he said. “In any case, further research into this species is needed, as it will aid land managers to conserve this enigmatic species as more challenges are thrown their way into the future.”
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