Th e decisions that animals must make to achieve a balance between quantity and quality of resources become more diffi cult when their habitats are patchy and diff er greatly in quality across space and time. Koalas are a prime subject to study this problem because they have a specialised diet of eucalypt leaves and need to balance nutrient and water intake against toxins in the leaves, all of which can change with soil type and climate. Koalas are nocturnal and spend most of the day resting and therefore choose trees for reasons other than feeding, particularly for thermoregulation. We GPS-tracked 40 koalas over 3 yr to determine their shift in tree selection between day and night, and in relation to daily maximum temperature, in a patchy rural landscape in north-western NSW, Australia. Th e species, degree of shelter, diameter, height and elevation of each visited tree were recorded. We used generalised linear mixed eff ects models to compare tree use between day and night and maximum daily temperature. Koalas used more feed-trees during the night, and more shelter-trees during the day. Th ey also selected taller trees with more shelter in the day compared with night. As daytime temperatures rose, koalas increasingly selected taller trees at lower elevations. Our results demonstrate that koalas need taller trees, and non-feed species with shadier/denser foliage, to provide shelter from heat. Th is highlights the need both for the retention of taller, mature trees, such as remnant paddock trees, and the planting of both food and shelter trees to increase habitat area and connectivity across the landscape for arboreal species. Retaining and planting trees that provide optimum habitat will help arboreal folivores cope with the more frequent droughts and heatwaves expected with climate change.
Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus are specialised, folivorous arboreal marsupials that do not go into torpor, fly, or shelter in hollows, and lack any ready means of avoiding weather extremes. This makes them valuable candidates to study impacts of climate change. This paper draws on our field study of koalas in Gunnedah in northwest New South Wales (NSW), to not only examine this proposition, but to progress to the next step of considering how we, as koala managers, can adapt our strategies to help the koala population cope with predicted climatic changes. The koala already faces a powerful set of threats, such as loss of habitat and fragmentation of what remains, disease, fire, and the impact of losses from dogs and vehicles. Climate change will compound these issues, accelerate adverse changes and demand a reappraisal of our approach to koala management. The koala is not unique in this predicament, but it is symbolic of the impact that can be expected on a wide range of species.
BackgroundAsian slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.) are one of few known venomous mammals, yet until now only one published case report has documented the impact of their venomous bite on humans. We describe the reaction of a patient to the bite of a subadult Nycticebus kayan, which occurred in the Mulu District of Sarawak in 2012.FindingsWithin minutes of the bite, the patient experienced paraesthesia in the right side of the jaw, ear and right foot. By 40 minutes, swelling of the face was pronounced. The patient was admitted to Mulu National Park Health Clinic/Klinik Kesihatan Taman Mulu Tarikh, at which time he was experiencing: swollen mouth, chest pain, mild abdominal pain, nausea, numbness of the lips and mouth, shortness of breath, weakness, agitation and the sensation of pressure in the ears due to swelling. The blood pressure was 110/76, the heart ratio was 116 and oxygen saturation was 96%. The patient was treated intramuscularly with adrenaline (0.5 mL), followed by intravenous injection of hydrocortisone (400 mg) and then intravenous fluid therapy of normal saline (500 mg). By 8 h10 the next day, the patient’s condition had significantly improved with no nausea, and with blood pressure and pulse rate stable.ConclusionsA handful of anecdotes further support the real danger that slow loris bites pose to humans. As the illegal pet trade is a major factor in the decline of these threatened species, we hope that by reporting on the danger of handling these animals it may help to reduce their desirability as a pet.
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