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Marsupial
carnivore research in Tasmania & Victoria, Australia
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| The
notoriously fierce 'devil' is common throughout Tasmania |
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Australia’s
marsupial carnivores are generally nocturnal and are often extremely
elusive animals. This is particularly true in forested regions. The
exception to this rule is the Tasmanian Devil, in Tasmania, where
it is abundant although more often seen as a road casualty along most
northern and eastern highways than as a living beast. Studies on marsupial
carnivores are often difficult to undertake and so recourse has to
be made to other methods. |
| The
Biodiversity Trust is developing a research programme that does not
require observations of the animals in the wild. Instead the project
aims to collect their droppings in likely parts of both the mainland
of Australia as well as Tasmania and to test them for DNA. Because
DNA is unique to each animal it is possible to determine which species
deposited each dropping. Furthermore, it is also possible to discover
if there are any important differences in the DNA of the marsupial
carnivores that might result in the discovery of sub-species or races
which may only be found in certain geographic regions. Similarly a
good impression of overall genetic diversity will be obtained and
other estimates such as population size and geographic distribution
can be obtained. These methods are both cheap and efficient and the
results of the work will result in clearer conservation strategies
that should prove of enormous benefit to the various marsupial carnivore
species. Preliminary work has been undertaken and the overall feasibility
has been proven. |
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| Dry
sclerophyllous forests in Tasmania and Victoria are home
to 'devils' and other marsupial carnivores |
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| Tasmanian
devils are frequently killed on the highways where they
scavenge other road kills |
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| Wilson's
Promontory, Victoria where the possible 'mainland' race
of the Tasmanian devil exists |
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There
is good evidence that a population of Tasmanian devils exists in the
Australian mainland state of Victoria. Numerous reports of sightings,
footprints and five carcasses, all road casualties, indicate this
animal survives in particular localities and has done so since the
area was first colonised by Europeans. What is not known is whether
or not the mainland population represents a distinct race or sub-species
of the more common Tasmanian species or if they were deliberately
or accidentally released sometime in the past. Current evidence indicates
that they have always been present although this has not been proven
to the satisfaction of the scientific community. The mainland Tasmanian
devil is, therefore, not yet included in the list of native mainland
Australian mammals and it has no legal status of protection. They
seem behaviourally different to Tasmania’s devils, being more
elusive and surviving in much lower numbers and over a wide area.
Current evidence would suggest they are a distinct sub-species. If
this is the case, and our research programme should provide the evidence,
a new species will be added to the mainland fauna and active conservation
measures will be implemented by the Australian authorities. The net
product of the work we propose to do will be to protect the habitats
in which the mainland devils live. |
| Not
all of the samples of animal droppings we test will belong to Tasmanian
devils. Useful data will also be obtained on other marsupial carnivores.
Rumours exist that Tasmanian tigers are also found in the state of
Victoria. Were we to re-discover this presumed extinct animal that
would be a newsworthy event of the highest magnitude. Watch this space! |
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