Density, home range, seasonal movements and habitat use of the mountain pygmy‐possumBurramys parvus(Marsupialia: Burramyidae) at Mount Blue Cow, Kosciuszko National Park

Abstract

A population of mountain pygmy-possums Burramys parvus was studied at the Mount Blue Cow ski resort in Kosciuszko National Park between 1986 and 1989. Forty-eight individuals were radiotracked during the snow-free months and 21 individuals were tracked during winter over the 3 years of study. Trapping and radiotracking showed that the density, population structure, movements and home range sizes of B. parvus on Mount Blue Cow were strongly correlated with elevation and changed with the season. Female densities were greatest in habitats characterized by deep boulderfields, at high elevations with an abundance of Bogong moths. Males visited the areas where females were located to breed in November-December and then by February, the majority migrated to lower elevations or north and westerly aspects. Females that nested at lower elevations also visited high-elevation habitats to access the high concentrations of Bogong moths, which were the main food source in summer. A high proportion of the juvenile males and some juvenile females dispersed to lower elevations in March and April. The resulting sexual segregation during autumn and winter may be a result of female aggression or scramble competition, but is also explainable by differences in energy requirements, seed availability and hibernation strategies between the sexes. The extraordinarily large nightly and seasonal movements between habitat patches of up to 2 km for females and 3 km for males, sexual segregation and the use of different hibernation sites have important implications for the management of this species. These include the need for movement and dispersal corridors and the conservation of boulder-heath habitats outside the main boulderfields.

A remarkably quick habituation and high use of a rope bridge by an endangered marsupial, the western ringtail possum

“…Several arboreal marsupials increase their activity ranges or change their movement patterns during the breeding season in search of mates and additional resources (Gentile et al 1997, Broome 2001, Loretto and Vieira 2005. Other arboreal folivorous species have been observed to be less active on well lit nights with low temperatures, presumably to avoid the risk of predation and heat loss (Laurance 1990, Starr et al 2012, RodeMargono and Nekaris 2014.…”

An uncharacteristic new population of the Mountain Pygmy-possumBurramysparvus in New South Wales

“…All sites identified within Happy Jacks Valley were comprised of artificial or modified habitats at altitudes ranging from 1200 to 1310 m well below the 1600 m lower elevation limit of known breeding populations in southern Kosciuszko National Park (Heinze et al 2004;Broome et al 2005). Radiotracked females as well as males and juveniles have been recorded as low as 1300 m at Mt Buller and a juvenile was captured by one of the authors (M. Schulz) at similar elevations at Falls (Broome 2001a;Heinze et al 2004). Although no moth sampling was conducted in the present survey, few active moths were observed during spotlight surveys or sheltering under rocks or in cracks and recesses during diurnal reptile searches of the trapping sites (Schulz 2010(Schulz , 2011.…”

Ecological consequences of temperature regulation: Why might the mountain pygmy possumBurramys parvusneed to hibernate near underground streams?

“…1,2 Understanding its habitat requirements is essential for effective conservation, so we examine here the thermal consequences of mountain pygmy possums maintaining water balance by eating snow during the hibernation season, and the implications of thermal biology for the ecology and habitat requirements of this species.…”

“…4 Overwinter survival of mountain pygmy possums is closely correlated with the depth and duration of winter snow cover; 150 d of snow cover is optimal for survival. 2 Early snowmelt in spring is particularly problematic, as this reduces temperatures in hibernacula and increases the duration and frequency of arousals from hibernation. 5 Snowmelt beginning before the arrival of their primary spring food-source, migratory Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa), means that pygmy possums undergo their final arousal from hibernation before they have access to this food.…”

“…5 Snowmelt beginning before the arrival of their primary spring food-source, migratory Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa), means that pygmy possums undergo their final arousal from hibernation before they have access to this food. 2 Snow depth and duration has been decreasing in the Australian Alps over the past 40 y, with more severe reductions, and increasing early spring snow melt predicted to occur by 2050-2070. 6,7 Identification of all extant populations of mountain pygmy possums, and a thorough understanding of their habitat requirements, is necessary if extinction of this species in the wild is to be prevented.…”