Feasibility of using scent-baited hair traps to monitor carnivore populations in Peninsular Malaysia

Non-invasive genetic sampling is increasingly being used for monitoring mammalian carnivore populations. However, environmental conditions in the tropics challenge researchers' ability to collect samples. We present the results of a preliminary study on the feasibility of using scent-baited hair traps for population monitoring of mammalian carnivores in Peninsular Malaysia. Stations were baited using either fatty acid scent or male cologne applied to hair traps. Video camera traps were also used to monitor carnivore reactions to the scent stations. We recorded 19 visits by seven carnivore species over 764 camera trap nights. Cheek-rubbing and scent-marking behaviour was recorded only for single individuals of two species: the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). This study suggests that scent-baited hair traps hold some promise for ecological issues requiring DNA analysis in Peninsular Malaysia. Additional research is needed to develop its full potential for conservation monitoring of large carnivores

Nest use by western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) at Innes National Park, South Australia

We examined the nest use of 15 radio-tracked western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) throughout one year for up to nine nights each at Innes National Park, South Australia. At least one pygmy-possum was followed in each of 12 months. Nest type and nest fidelity varied greatly; shallow burrows under debris were the most frequently used. Nest preferences of females with young remain unknown. The ability of C. concinnus to use a diversity of nest types over relatively short periods is likely to be an important survival strategy

Nest use by western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) (Marsupialia:Burramyidae) at Innes National Park, South Australia

We examined the nest use of 15 radio-tracked western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) throughout one year for up to nine nights each at Innes National Park, South Australia. At least one pygmy-possum was followed in each of 12 months. Nest type and nest fidelity varied greatly; shallow burrows under debris were the most frequently used. Nest preferences of females with young remain unknown. The ability of C. concinnus to use a diversity of nest types over relatively short periods is likely to be an important survival strategy.

High rates of cannibalism and food waste consumption by dingoes living at a remote mining operation in the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia

Smith, BP ORCiD: 0000-0002-0873-3917Mining operations in remote Australia represent a unique opportunity to examine the impact of supplementary food and water provision on local wildlife. Here, we present a dietary analysis of dingoes living at a mine site in the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. A total of 270 faeces (scats) were collected from across the mine footprint on two occasions three months apart. The most frequently consumed food resource was anthropogenic (rubbish), which was found in 218 of 270 faeces (80.7% of scats and 65.3% of scat volume). Also of note was a high proportion of dingo remains, which was found in 51 of 270 faeces (18.9% of scats and 10.4% of scat volume), suggesting the occurrence of cannibalism. These findings highlight the potential influence of human-modified areas and associated resource availability on the diet of dingoes, and have implications for the environmental management of areas surrounding mining operations. © 2019 Australian Mammal Society

Biodiversity friend or foe: land use by a top predator, the dingo in contested landscapes of the Australian Wet Tropics

Dingoes (Canis dingo) in the coastal lowlands of Australia's Wet Tropics (WT) are perceived as a major threat to biodiversity and subjected to broad-spectrum lethal control. However, evidence of their impacts is equivocal, and control programs generally ignore the ecological benefits that dingoes might provide. Previous diet analysis has shown that dingoes in the WT primarily prey on common, terrestrial mammals. However, little is known of dingo habitat use or prey acquisition in the region despite these activities having major implications for biodiversity conservation. We investigated land use by dingoes in the lowland WT to enable predictions of potential prey types, relative prey use and modes of prey acquisition. Nine dingoes were tracked for 3-6 months. Home ranges and resting areas were estimated using multiple estimators, and habitat use was analysed using compositional analysis and generalised additive models. Dingo ranging behaviour suggested that anthropogenic food subsidies were infrequently used. Each territory comprised several sclerophyll forest rest areas with an adjacent sugarcane-grassland high activity area. Individuals used each rest-activity area for extended durations before moving on to another. Sclerophyll and rainforests, which contain the fauna species of primary conservation concern, were generally used for rest/sleep, or movement between rest-activity areas. Activity patterns were consistent with dingoes hunting in open sugarcane-grassland habitats during daylight hours. Dingo activity was low in areas where fauna species of conservation concern occur, which suggests that dingoes do not pose a threat to their survival. Consequently, current broad-spectrum lethal control may have minimal or even negative biodiversity benefits. Maximising the ecosystem services provided by dingoes while simultaneously minimising their negative impacts requires a more targeted location-specific management approach, one that assesses and mitigates impacts specifically where background circumstances suggest particular packs may be either a conservation or economic threat

Taxonomic status of the Australian dingo: the case for Canis dingo Meyer, 1793

The taxonomic status and systematic nomenclature of the Australian dingo remain contentious, resulting in decades of inconsistent applications in the scientific literature and in policy. Prompted by a recent publication calling for dingoes to be considered taxonomically as domestic dogs (Jackson et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4317, 201-224), we review the issues of the taxonomy applied to canids, and summarise the main differences between dingoes and other canids. We conclude that (1) the Australian dingo is a geographically isolated (allopatric) species from all other Canis, and is genetically, phenotypically, ecologically, and behaviourally distinct; and (2) the dingo appears largely devoid of many of the signs of domestication, including surviving largely as a wild animal in Australia for millennia. The case of defining dingo taxonomy provides a quintessential example of the disagreements between species concepts (e.g., biological, phylogenetic, ecological, morphological). Applying the biological species concept sensu stricto to the dingo as suggested by Jackson et al. (2017) and consistently across the Canidae would lead to an aggregation of all Canis populations, implying for example that dogs and wolves are the same species. Such an aggregation would have substantial implications for taxonomic clarity, biological research, and wildlife conservation. Any changes to the current nomen of the dingo (currently Canis dingo Meyer, 1793), must therefore offer a strong, evidence-based argument in favour of it being recognised as a subspecies of Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758, or as Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758, and a successful application to the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature - neither of which can be adequately supported. Although there are many species concepts, the sum of the evidence presented in this paper affirms the classification of the dingo as a distinct taxon, namely Canis dingo