A trial of a Global Positioning System radio-collar on Northern … · 2017-06-01 · 4.1 Animal collection ... Populations of northern quolls can fluctuate on both annual and inter-annual

A trial of a Global Positioning System radio-collar on Northern Quolls (Dasyurus

hallucatus)

Report prepared for Rio Tinto

By

Kelly Rayner, Hannah Anderson and Keith Morris

Science and Conservation Division

December 2015

ii Department of Parks and Wildlife

Department of Parks and Wildlife Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Phone: (08) 9219 9000 Fax: (08) 9334 0498

www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

© Department of Parks and Wildlife on behalf of the State of Western Australia 2015

This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Department of Parks and Wildlife. This report was prepared by K.Rayner, H.Anderson and K.Morris Questions regarding the use of this material should be directed to: Science and Conservation Division Department of Parks and Wildlife Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 The recommended reference for this publication is: Rayner K., Anderson H, Morris K (2015). A trial of a Global Positioning System radio-collar on Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth. This document is available in alternative formats on request.

Cover image: Kelly Rayner

A trial of a Global Positioning System radio-collar on Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Department of Parks and Wildlife ` iii

Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... v

1 Background ................................................................................................................. 7

2 Key Objectives ............................................................................................................ 9

3 Methods ...................................................................................................................... 9

3.1 Site selection ...................................................................................................... 9

3.2 Northern quoll collection ................................................................................... 13

3.3 Northern quoll transport ................................................................................... 13

3.4 Captive management ....................................................................................... 14

3.5 Collar design and fitting .................................................................................... 14

3.6 GPS radio-collar observations.......................................................................... 16

3.7 Collar removal and fate of animals ................................................................... 16

4 Results and Recommendations ................................................................................ 16

4.1 Animal collection .............................................................................................. 16

4.2 GPS radio-collar capabilities ............................................................................ 17

4.3 GPS radio-collar configuration ......................................................................... 17

4.4 GPS radio-collar durability................................................................................ 18

5 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 21

Appendices ................................................................................................................... 25

Appendices

Appendix 1 Trap locations (each trap set for 2 nights). ............................................. 25

Appendix 2 Capture information from animals trapped at Poondano. ...................... 27

Figures

Figure 1. Map showing the Poondano trapping site in context of the Pilbara ................ 10

Figure 2. Sites trapped for Northern quolls in February 2015 (blue) with reference to the Poondano iron ore project area (red) .................................................................. 12

Figure 3. GPS collars trialed on northern quolls, full collar shown in image "A", close up of GPS download ports in image "B" .................................................................... 15

Figure 4. Remotely captured images of northern quolls throughout the collar trial. Images "A" and "B" show the size of the collar in comparison to the animal, however this size did not inhibit use of small spaces (C) or climbing (D) .................. 18

Figure 5. GPS prong which was not re-enforced for the trial was snapped off within four days of deployment ............................................................................................ 19

Figure 6. One whip antennae was damaged after three weeks of the trial and completely gone from the collar by the fifth week ..................................................... 20

iv Department of Parks and Wildlife

Tables

Table 1. Trap success rates recorded by Astron Environmental Services in 2013 and 2014 at sites targeted in February 2015. Trap success is measured as the number of captures over 100 trap nights, number of individual northern quolls captured shown in parentheses. .............................................................................................. 11


Department of Parks and Wildlife v

Acknowledgments The authors thank Brent Johnson for his assistance in the collection of the northern

quolls used in this study, and Melinda Henderson for assisting with data collection.

Native Animal Rescue (NAR), Malaga, and their volunteers cared for the quolls

during the study. Perth Zoo provided assistance with animal husbandry and

veterinary services. This project was funded by RioTinto. This project was approved

by the Parks and Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee (DPAW AEC #2014/27).


Department of Parks and Wildlife ` 7

1 Background

The northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial of

the Dasyuridae family (Hill and Ward 2010). The distribution of the northern quoll

formerly extended across the northern third of Australia, but the species now only

occurs in smaller patches across this range in Queensland, the Kimberley and

Northern Territory as well as throughout the Pilbara region of Western Australia

(Braithwaite et. al. 1994). They inhabit a variety of areas, including rocky outcrops

and ridges, rainforests, eucalypt forest and woodland, sandy lowlands, shrublands,

grasslands, and desert (Department of Parks and Wildlife 2013, Department of

Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities 2011). In 2005, due

to a significant decline in distribution and abundance, the northern quoll was listed as

an Endangered species under the Commonwealth’s Environmental Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act; Department of Sustainability,

Environment, Water, Population and Communities 2011). Several factors are likely to

have contributed to this decline, including the impacts of the invasive cane toad

(Rhinella marina), feral dog (Canis familiaris) and cat (Felis catus), altered fire

regimes, habitat destruction, and grazing from cattle (Braithwaite et. al. 1994, Hill

and Ward 2010, Woinarski et al. 2008, Woinarski et al. 2010).

Populations of northern quolls can fluctuate on both annual and inter-annual cycles,

this variability is driven by both the reproductive biology of individuals and longer

term cycles in response to regional stochastic processes such as rainfall, fire and

related changes in prey item populations (How et al. 2009, Hill and Ward 2010,

Oakwood and Spratt 2000). These factors can confound population monitoring and

survey effort, an issue which is exacerbated by the mobility of the species, with

individuals capable of moving the entirety of their home range in one night (Oakwood

2002). One method to better understand the movements and survivability of

secretive, nocturnal animals such as the northern quoll is radio-tracking (Parker et al.

1996). Historically radio-tracking has been an essential tool in wildlife management,

as the gained spatial and survival information can be used to develop management

protocols for the monitored species (Harris et al. 1990, Department of Parks and

Wildlife 2009). However, for small cryptic mammal species such as the northern

quoll, radio-tracking can be problematic due to limitations to the amount and quality

8 Department of Parks and Wildlife

of data obtained from traditional VHF collars (Oakwood 2002). These issues can be

attributed to:

Mobility of the species: individual northern quolls have been known to move

more than 6km between different refuge sites in one night (M. Cowan,

Department of Parks and Wildlife, pers.comm.). This makes relocating and

following the collared animals difficult as they can readily move outside of

their normal area of occupancy and out of receiver range.

Habitat type: Pilbara northern quolls typically use gaps and holes within rocky

crevices as refuge sites (Astron Environmental Services 2013a). This type of

habitat can distort radio signals, causing the signal to bounce off landscape

structures and result in erronious location information. It can also signficantly

increase the time required to locate refuge sites which limits the number of

individual animals that can be monitored per day.

Terrain: due to the rocky nature of northern quoll habitat in the Pilbara, night-

time tracking is difficult and poses a significant safety risk to researchers. In

order to obtain nocturnal habitat usage information for northern quolls,

triangulation must be used which involves at least two teams co-ordinating to

take compass bearings at the same time. This can be problematic and

resulting locations can have large error margins (Mech 1979, Morris 1980).

Logistics: to date telemetry information for this species has been collected

using standard VHF transmitters. This technology has significant limitations in

that the animal must be physically tracked in real time. The number of data

points that can be collected is limited to the the time research personnel can

be deployed in the field. In previous studies, the number of points collected

as compared to the number of days northern quolls were fitted with a

transmitter was relatively low. The best efforts for previous studies were 18

locations from 33 days (King 1989), 128 locations from 266 days (Oakwood

2002), 31 locations from 42 days (Cook 2010) and 29 locations from 71 days

(Astron Environmental Services 2013a).

Current home range information for northern quolls are under-estimates and

information regarding nocturnal movements and foraging behaviour are poorly



documented (King 1989, Oakwood 2002, Cook 2010 and Astron Environmental

Services 2013a). The recent development of micro - Global Positioning System

(GPS) collars has significantly increased the potential to collect data and the ability

to accurately estimate home range movement and landscape usage of this cryptic

species. These GPS collars can be programmed to log the position of the animal at

specified intervals during the day and/or night, resulting in more location information

being collected which has previously been missed using standard VHF radio-collars.

The aim of this trial was to determine if micro-GPS collars were suitable for use on

northern quolls and if they were ready for field deployment by testing the collars on

animals in a controlled captive environment.

2 Key Objectives

Three main objectives were addressed by this trial:

1. To validate the GPS capabilities of the trial collars, as claimed by the

manufacturers;

2. To ensure the collar size, configuration and materials are appropriate for use

on northern quolls;

3. To determine if the collar design is durable enough for long-term use on

northern quolls.

3 Methods

3.1 Site selection

Northern quolls for this trial were collected from three selected sites on Unallocated

Crown Land within the Pippingarra pastoral lease, approximately 36km southeast of

Port Hedland (Figure 1). The three sites (referred to as Granite outcrop, Northern

granites and Southern granites; Figure 2) are control sites for the Fauna

Management Plan (FMP) required under the conditions of approval for the Poondano

Iron Ore Project (EPBC Act approval EPBC 2010/5759). These sites are undisturbed

by direct mining activity but occur within the vicinity of mining operations (Figure 2).


Figure 1. Map showing the Poondano trapping site in context of the Pilbara



Given the close proximity to the nearby Poondano Iron Ore project, monitoring for

northern quolls has occurred at these locations since 2012 (Astron Environmental

Services 2014).

The northern quoll populations at these sites were described as being “stable and

robust” following monitoring in both 2013 and 2014 (Astron Environmental Services

2013b, Astron Environmental Services 2014). Trap success rates in these two years

ranged from 23.8% to 45.7% at the three control sites (Table 1), and had been as

high as 70% in 2012 (Astron Environmental Services 2013b). In 2014 a total of 43

individuals were captured across the three sites, a slight increase in the 40

individuals recorded in 2013 (Table1; Astron Environmental Services 2013b, Astron

Environmental Services 2014). In addition, two male northern quolls first tagged in

2013 were re-captured one year later in 2014 (age 1+) and five females tagged prior

to 2013 were re-captured again in 2014 (age 2+), indicating survival of some males

and females post breeding season.

Table 1. Trap success rates recorded by Astron Environmental Services in 2013 and

2014 at sites targeted in February 2015. Trap success is measured as the number of

captures over 100 trap nights, number of individual northern quolls captured shown

in parentheses.

Granite outcrop Northern granites Southern granites

2013 45.2 (11) 44.9 (9) 23.8 (20)

2014 26.7 (6) 45.7 (11) 41 (26)

Due to the high capture rates and numbers of individuals recorded previously, the

removal of four northern quolls (two male and two female) for this project would be

unlikely to have an impact on the source population. Furthermore, the likelihood of

capturing animals post-breeding season large enough to be fitted with the collars

being trialled made these sites appropriate target locations for the collection of

northern quolls.

A Translocation Proposal to collect four northern quolls from these sites at Poondano

was approved by the Department of Parks and Wildlife (Parks and Wildlife) in

February 2015. Animal Ethics approval for the collar trial project was obtained

through the Parks and Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee (approval number 2014-27)

and all activities were completed under the Regulation 17 Licence to take fauna for


scientific purposes SC001329. Permission to access the Poondano sites was

granted by Meco Minerals in February 2015.

Figure 2. Sites trapped for Northern quolls in February 2015 (blue) with reference to

the Poondano iron ore project area (red)



3.2 Northern quoll collection

The source population was trapped by three Parks and Wildlife staff from 23- 25th

February 2015. This falls outside the recommended period for trapping this species

(Dunlop et al. 2014) but approval for the trapping to proceed during hot summer

months was obtained from the Parks and Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee, subject

to strict trap location and clearance conditions. A total of 35 small cage traps (45cm x

17cm x 17cm, Sheffield Wire Co. Welshpool WA) baited with a mixture of peanut

butter, sardines and rolled oats were set across the three sites for two nights, giving

a total trapping effort of 70 trap nights (Appendix 1). Traps were checked in the early

morning and were all cleared within three hours of sunrise.

All trapped animals were processed according to Parks and Wildlife Standard

Operating Procedure 9.2 Cage traps for live capture of terrestrial vertebrates.

Standard morphometric and reproduction data were collected from all northern quolls

captured. This information included pre-existing microchip number, weight, age,

short pes length, head length, tail diameter, sex and either pouch condition or testes

width (Appendix 2). As requested by Rapallo Environment (contracted to conduct

2015 Poondano northern quoll monitoring), only the quolls to be removed from the

sites for the GPS radio-collar trial were marked with a microchip. The collection

targets for this trial were two females and two males weighing a minimum of 370g.

The minimum body weight for northern quolls was determined by the weight of the

radio-collars to be tested. The maximum acceptable weight-to-collar ratio is five

percent of the body mass of the animal. In this instance, the collars weighed 18.5g

making the ethically acceptable minimum weight for northern quolls of 370g.

3.3 Northern quoll transport

All quolls were transported according to Parks and Wildlife Standard Operating

Procedure 11.1 Transport and temporary holding of wildlife. Animals selected for the

GPS radio-collar trial were transported from site to Port Hedland (approximately

30km) in a dark bag held in a nest box (19 x 265 x 430mm) in an air-conditioned

vehicle. Quolls captured on the first day were held overnight in a small covered cage

trap within an air-conditioned room and fed chicken wings. Animals captured on the


second day and those held on the first night were transferred into individual nest

boxes on the morning of the 25th of February. These nest boxes were packed into

large pet carriers, transferred to Port Hedland airport and flown to Perth. Vehicle

transfer from Perth airport to Native Animal Rescue (NAR) in Malaga, occurred in an

air-conditioned vehicle and quolls were released into individual enclosures by 1730

hours on the night of February 25th.

3.4 Captive management

The northern quolls were housed individually at NAR in 3 x 2 x 2m enclosures

furnished with a nest box, foliage, hollow logs and branches for climbing. Foliage

was refreshed and moved around once per week to provide stimulation. Upon arrival

at NAR, nest boxes were placed in the enclosures and animals left to come out of

their transport boxes of their own accord. Northern quolls were fed on a diet of mice,

day old chicks, whitebait, boiled egg and carnivore pellets. Upon arrival, females

received 70g of food per day which was reduced to 52g per day following the first

week in captivity. Males received 105g per day initially, and this was reduced to 68g

per day after the first week. The diet was increased upon arrival to prevent weight

loss caused by stress due to the new captive environment.

By undertaking this trial in the controlled environment of NAR in Perth rather than in

the field, any adverse impact on the animals could be quickly mitigated and any

functional failures of the collars dealt with, within the facility. A captive trial also

meant detailed information could be collected which will aid in improving the collar

design for future work not only for the northern quoll but other species of similar size

and behaviour.

3.5 Collar design and fitting

The radio-collars tested in this trial were Sirtrack GPS pinpoint 50 (Sirtrack, Havelock

North NZ), weighing 18.5g. These collars had both a rechargeable GPS component

which is claimed to be capable of 50 GPS location attempts per battery charge, and

a VHF component with a three month battery life. The GPS and VHF transmitters

were mounted on a soft suede leather collar (minimum fit 100mm neck

circumference to a maximum fit 150mm neck circumference) and components were

covered in heat shrink, with an external whip antennae (Figure 3a). Exterior to the

heat shrink were also the download and charge points for the GPS unit, which



extended beyond the collar unit by approximately five millimetres (Figure 3b). These

points were re-enforced for the trial on two collars and left exposed in their original

condition on the remaining two collars to determine how robust they were. Animals

were individually fitted with collars by experienced quoll handlers on the 4 March

2015, one week after arrival in captivity to allow acclimatisation to the new

environment. Collars were fastened using a nut and bolt covered with heat shrink.

Collars were programmed to attempt two GPS locations for the first two weeks of the

trial, then to drop back to one GPS point per night for the remainder of the trial. The

schedule for the GPS units was designed so that 50 attempts would be made during

the period the collars were on the animals.

Figure 3. GPS collars trialed on northern quolls, full collar shown in image "A", close

up of GPS download ports in image "B"

A B


3.6 GPS radio-collar observations

The condition and welfare of the northern quolls was checked daily with a short

visual inspection by NAR staff and volunteers during regular husbandry duties

(feeding and enclosure management).

Animal behaviour was monitored through the use of remote sensing cameras. Two

cameras were trained onto the enclosures of each animal, one Reconyx PC900 to

collect still images of animals using obstacles such as hollow logs (Reconyx,

Holmen, Wisconsin) and one Bushnell Trophy camera to collect video of general

behaviour throughout the night (Bushnell Outdoor Products, Kansas City, Missouri).

The Reconyx cameras were programmed to collect three photos per trigger event at

five second intervals, with a five minute delay between trigger events. The Bushnell

cameras were programmed to record 60 seconds of video per trigger event with a 15

minute delay between trigger events. Photos and videos were collected twice a week

and examined for any adverse behaviour from the animals and any adverse effects

from the collars.

Animal and collar condition were examined once a week by an experienced quoll

handler. Animals were trapped in small cage traps or collected from their nest boxes

within an hour of sunrise. Animals were held in a black handling bag while being

weighed, and while having their necks and the collar inspected. If collars needed to

be refitted, this was done in the same time period as the inspection. Animals were

released into their nest boxes immediately following inspection.

3.7 Collar removal and fate of animals

Collars were removed from all animals after a period of six weeks. Quolls were then

transferred to their nest boxes and transported to Perth Zoo for use as display

animals, according to the requirements of the Translocation Proposal.

4 Results and Recommendations

4.1 Animal collection

A total of 24 northern quoll captures were made across the three sites over two

nights of trapping, giving a trapping success rate for this species of 34.8% (Appendix



1). Other species captured included common rock-rat Zyzomys argurus and

Pseudantechinus sp. bringing the total trapping success rate to 40%.

The number of individual northern quolls captured is unknown as animals captured

and released on the first day were not marked prior to release. From the total

captures, only two animals met the weight criteria – one male (650g) and one female

(390g). A second female which fell just below the weight threshold was also

collected (355g), with the expectation that she would gain weight once in captivity.

4.2 GPS radio-collar capabilities

GPS data were downloaded at the completion of the captive trial. During the trial the

GPS collars collected no location information due to the interference of the wire and

metal around the enclosures. However, the GPS units still attempted to collect

positions and timed out as programmed. The battery life was depleted after 37 of the

50 programmed location attempts were made. When trialled outside of the

enclosures (not attached to an animal), the collars were capable of collecting the full

50 location fixes under optimal conditions (not moving, out in the open, antennae

facing up). The manufacturers have indicated that the GPS electronics have a low-

power shutdown to protect the memory, which may have been activated resulting in

the lower number of fixes being attempted.

An advantage of these radio-collars was that the GPS component is run on a

rechargeable battery. However, future users should be aware that this battery takes

over eight hours to charge. Ideally in an ecological study, it would be preferable to

continue to use the same collar on the same individual repeatedly. In order to do

this with these collars, animals would need to be held for the day while the collar

recharges. This practice is common and ethical, however researchers should keep in

mind that repeatedly holding animals may change their behaviour, particularly

immediately following release, and should program the timing of the GPS fixes on

the collars accordingly.

4.3 GPS radio-collar configuration

A total of 56,303 still images and 50.77 hours of video footage were analysed for any

adverse effects to northern quolls wearing the trialled collars. The radio-collar

package appears quite large and bulky for this sized animal, however it did not


appear to restrict the animals movements in any way (Figure 4a and 4b). Animals

were still capable of using small and confined spaces such as hollow logs and

entrances to nest boxes (Figure 4c). Activities such as climbing, running and jumping

did not appear to be inhibited in any way, occurring quite regularly on camera

footage (Figure 4d). No issues were recorded with the collars catching on objects or

preventing normal movement of legs.

Figure 4. Remotely captured images of northern quolls throughout the collar trial.

Images "A" and "B" show the size of the collar in comparison to the animal, however

this size did not inhibit use of small spaces (C) or climbing (D)

There were no negative effects observed due to the wearing of the GPS radio-collars

by the quolls. All animals gained weight during the trial (70-90g), no injuries were

caused as a result of the wearing of the collars and no abrasions were recorded

around the necks of the animals. The only wear observed was rubbing bare of the

hair around the neck, which is commonly observed on animals wearing any radio-

collars for long periods and is regarded as an ethically acceptable outcome from

long-term use of collars, as long as the skin is not broken. It is recommended that

the whole collar band be covered in heat shrink at manufacture to reduce the

number of edges exposed to the animals. Although not damaging the skin in this

trial, in a free-ranging, wild setting where the wear and tear on the collars is more

pronounced, these sharper edges could become problematic.

4.4 GPS radio-collar durability

Collars were checked a total of five times throughout the trial and examined

thoroughly upon removal at the end of the trial. All but two components of the collars

remained intact during the period they were deployed on animals. These two

A B C D



components were the ports for the GPS charging and download, and the whip

antennae.

The GPS charging and communication ports which were reinforced with heat shrink

remained undamaged throughout the period of the trial. However, the ports which

were not covered were snapped off within four days of deployment (Figure 5). As the

ports are a contact system, the data could still be retrieved from the collar and the

unit could be re-charged if the port was held to the charger rather than connected as

designed. We would recommend for future deployments of these collars that the

ports continue to be reinforced with heat shrink to protect them from damage. Even

though the data can still be retrieved through a broken port, the process of

recharging can take over eight hours which is a long time to be holding a collar in

contact with a charger.

Figure 5. GPS prong which was not re-enforced for the trial was snapped off within

four days of deployment

The whip antenna on one collar was bent after three weeks and completely broken

away after five weeks (Figure 6). Whip antennae have been used successfully in the

past with northern quolls but are notoriously flimsy and not recommended for use

with western quolls (Dasyurus geoffroii) which consistently chew them off. Recent

field studies with northern quolls have also demonstrated the fragility whip antennae

with the majority (71 %) of 20 collars deployed for a three month period missing the

antennae upon collection at the end of the study (H. Anderson, Department of Parks

and Wildlife, pers.comm.).


The advantage to whip antennae is they provide the strongest signal for radio-

tracking, but given their propensity to be pulled out or destroyed it is risky to depend

upon them. Given their successful use on this species in the past, we suggest that

their continued use is preferred to the heavier alternatives. However, caution should

be used, especially if monitoring of animals is irregular and individuals are known to

move large distances between daily locations (as male northern quolls do). It is also

recommended that the whip aerial base is reinforced.

Figure 6. One whip antennae was damaged after three weeks of the trial and

completely gone from the collar by the fifth week

The length of the collar is another design component that should be adjusted for

future use on northern quolls. The collars tested were a minimum fit of 100mm to a

maximum fit of 150mm but would be better suited if they were reduced to a minimum

fit of 90mm and a maximum fit of 140mm. This allows the GPS antenna to sit in the



optimum position on the dorsal (upper) surface and allows for easier fitting on

northern quolls.

5 Discussion

This study has shown that the Sirtrack mini-GPS radio-collars tested here can be

fitted and worn by northern quolls with little or no detrimental impact on their

behaviour or welfare. The ability to use GPS radio-collars on northern quolls will

greatly improve our ability to obtain accurate information on movement areas, home

ranges and habitat use of this threatened species. This will be particularly important

in the Pilbara where there have been some difficulties with VHF radio-tracking of

northern quolls (Morris et al. 2015), and Henderson (2015) has used these GPS

radio-collars to obtain better information on nocturnal foraging areas and home

range estimates.

There are a number of changes to the design of the GPS radio-collars that would

improve their durability and suitability for use on medium-sized mammals such as

northern quolls. These include:

1. Increasing the number of location attempts made by the GPS unit;

2. Reducing the time for recharging the GPS battery;

3. Reducing the size and weight of the radio-collar package;

4. Applying heat shrink around the whole band, thereby reducing sharp edges;

5. Reinforcing or covering of the charge / communications ports; and

6. Developing an alternative antennae system or reinforcing the current whip

antennae.

Although the GPS radio-collars tested are considered appropriate for the use on

northern quolls, it is important that the purpose of their deployment is considered

carefully, as it should be for any technology that may stress wild animals. If it is only

a requirement to assess whether animals are alive or dead, or for finding specific

refuge sites, VHF- only radio-collars with mortality mode, are adequate. The added

expense of GPS radio-collars (approximately triple VHF- only transmitters) is

warranted if more detailed information on movements and habitat use of animals is


required. They are also useful for deployment in situations where nocturnal radio-

tracking is difficult for logistical or safety reasons. However, the GPS radio-collars

still need to be collected to download the location data. Therefore, it would be

prudent to keep track of an animal’s location through radio-tracking during the day

via the VHF component of the collar. It is possible for a higher number of GPS

locations to be collected by “stacking“ GPS components, however this would mean

forfeiting the VHF component due to weight restrictions and potentially reducing your

likelihood of recovering the collar.

As battery and electronic technology develops and the size and weight of GPS radio-

transmitters reduces, their application in helping to understand the field ecology of

cryptic, wide ranging and sometimes difficult to capture mammal species will be

expanded. In particular, the ability to track the movements of smaller juvenile and

sub-adult animals will be enhanced through this technology.

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Appendices

Appendix 1 Trap locations (each trap set for 2 nights).

Latitude Longitude Trap number Site

-20.4476 118.8443 PN01 The granites

-20.4479 118.8446 PN02 The granites

-20.448 118.8448 PN03 The granites

-20.4483 118.845 PN04 The granites

-20.4481 118.8453 PN05 The granites

-20.4479 118.8452 PN06 The granites

-20.447 118.8449 PN07 The granites

-20.4464 118.8446 PN08 The granites

-20.4374 118.8437 PN09 Northern granites







-20.5042 118.8295 PS01 Southern granites




















Project title

Department of Parks and Wildlife 27

Appendix 2 Capture information from animals trapped at Poondano.

Date Trap no. Species Sex

Capture status

Weight (g) Age

Pes (mm)

Head length (mm)

Tail diameter (mm)

Testes width (mm) Fate

24/02/2015 PS01 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 335 Adult 31.4 66.5

Released

24/02/2015 PS05 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 370 Adult 27 31.5 14

Released

24/02/2015 PS06 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 350 Adult 31.6 37.1 11.7

Released

24/02/2015 PS10 Pseudantechinus sp. Female New

Released

24/02/2015 PS13 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 310 Adult 29.2 35.1 15.9

Released

24/02/2015 PN04 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 320 Adult 31.7 34.9 9.9

Released

24/02/2015 PN05 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 210 Adult 29.8 64.4 12

Released

24/02/2015 PN06 Dasyurus hallucatus Female New 260 Adult 30.2 61.9 10.5

Released

24/02/2015 PN12 Dasyurus hallucatus Male New 190 Sub-adult 31.1 59 11.3 9.7 Released

24/02/2015 PN14 Zyzomys argurus Male New

Released

24/02/2015 PN15 Dasyurus hallucatus Female Recapture 320 Adult 31.1 66 9.9

Released

24/02/2015 PN09 Dasyurus hallucatus Male New 650 Adult 38 75 13.6 19.7 Collected for trial

25/02/2015 PS11 Dasyurus hallucatus

Unmarked 340 Adult

Released


Unmarked 280 Sub-adult

Released


Unmarked 150 Juvenile

Released


Unmarked 185 Juvenile

Released

25/02/2015 PS05 Dasyurus hallucatus Female Unmarked 355 Adult 31.3 66.8 11

Collected for trial

25/02/2015 PS06 Zyzomys argurus

Released


Unmarked 290 Sub-adult

Released

25/02/2015 PS16 Dasyurus hallucatus Female Unmarked 390 Adult 33.2 67.8 11.8

Collected for trial


25/02/2015 PS18 Dasyurus hallucatus Male Unmarked 230 Sub-adult

Released

25/02/2015 PN02 Dasyurus hallucatus Female Unmarked 205 Adult

Released


Released

25/02/2015 PN04 Dasyurus hallucatus Male Unmarked 130 Juvenile

Released


Released

25/02/2015 PN06 Zyzomys argurus

Released


Released

25/02/2015 PN10 Dasyurus hallucatus Male Unmarked 170 Juvenile

Released

Documents

A trial of a Global Positioning System radio-collar on Northern … · 2017-06-01 · 4.1 Animal collection ... Populations of northern quolls can fluctuate on both annual and inter-annual