After starting the year with a bit of a bang scoring Mountain Pygmy Possum and following up with some nice mammals on a Portland Pelagic I decided to set a bit of a fun target to see 100 mammal species over the year. It is just a bit of fun and not a serious big year. As of the 31st of January I was sitting on a reasonably healthy 35 mammal species with a few nice quality ones in there. Will keep this list updated with first seen location across the year. Each mammal species must be alive and a visual obtained.
February update – somewhat quiet – continue to dip on platypus but did manage to pick up a couple of nice ones – Eastern Pygmy Possum and Long-nosed Bandicoot in Bunyip and Rakali on a somewhat weird night at Sandringham.
March Update – 3 nights spotlighting in Bunyip and the Yarra Ranges produced a lot of nice mammals but nothing new. It took a 4 night trip around Brisbane to finally get the list ticking along with Rufous Bettong, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby and Australian Hump-backed Dolphin being highlights. With daylight saving ending the spotlighting season begins (although I am already up to 18 night spotlighting this year)
April Update – quiet month with a few too many dips. Managed to add 5 species with Fat-tailed Dunnart being a highlight on the plains near Denniliquin.
May Update – eek! Slowing down….. Added Platypus, Agile Antechinus and of course Narrow-toed Feather-tailed Glider which was a standout!
June and July – New Holland Mouse has to be a standout – critically endangered in Vic and killer views on a great morning at Wilson’s Prom. Other highlights include Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Eastern Bettong and a couple of whales.
August and September – Work making it hard get away but my first Spotted-tailed Quoll a highlight! And then there was the small, minor matter of a leopard seal!
October – My first Ningaui, Western Pygmy-possum and Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat as well as a couple of Rock-wallabies and Microbats.
November – Chuditch and Numbat in the running for mammal of the year! as well as a few other SW WA specialties.
December – Unlikely to get out again this year but have managed to add 19 new mammals this month in a late rush and now sit on 107 for the year. Highlights include the four endemic ring-tailed possums in the Wet Tropics, Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat, Giant White-tailed Rat and of course Feral Goat in the You Yangs!!
Mammal List
– Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus Tarago River – 05/16
– Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus Country Vic – 01/01/16
– Western Quoll (Chuditch) Dasyurus geoffroii Perup area – 01/11/16
– Spot-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus Loongana – 01/09/16
– Tasmanian Devil Sarcophilus harrisii Loongana – 01/09/16
– Agile Antechinus Antechinus agilis Yarra Ranges NP – 25/05/16
– Yellow-footed Antechinus Antechinus flavipes Beaudesert area – 18/03/16
– Brown Antechinus Antechinus stuartii Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– Brush-tailed Phascogale Phascogale tapoatafa – Pranjip – 12/11/16
– Southern Ningaui Ningaui yvonnaeIronstone CP – 26/10/16
– Fat-tailed Dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata Deniliquin area – 09/04/16
– Numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus – Perup area – 01/11/16
– Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii Mt Field NP – 15/07/16
– Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus Cranbourne BG – 26/01/16
– Southern Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta Bunyip SP – 13/02/16
– Northern Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles pallescens Kingfisher Park – 10/12/16
– Koala Phascolarctos cinereus Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat Lasiorhinus latifrons Nullabor Roadhouse – 28/10/16
– Mountain Pygmy Possum Burramys parvus Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Western Pygmy Possum Cercartetus concinnus Ironstone Hill CP – 26/10/16
– Little Pygmy Possum Cercartetus lepidus Fortescue Bay – 28/01/16
– Eastern Pygmy Possum Cercartetus nanus Bunyip SP – 21/02/16
– Torresian Striped Possum Dactylopsila trivirgata Kingfisher Park – 10/12/16
– Leadbeaters Possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri Yarra Ranges SF -16/01/16
– Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum Hemibelideus lemuroides Mount Hypipamee – 12/12/16
– Southern Greater Glider Petauroides volans Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– Western Ring-tailed Possum Pseudocheirus occidentalis Perup area – 01/11/16
– Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Daintree River Ring-tailed Possum Pseudochirulus cinereus Mount Lewis – 10/12/16
– Herbert River Ring-tailed Possum Pseudochirulus herbertensis Lake Eacham – 12/12/16
– Green Ring-tailed Possum Pseudochirops archeri Mount Lewis – 10/12/16
– Short-eared Brushtail Possum Trichosurus caninus Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– Mountain Brushtail Possum Trichosurus cunninghami Yarra Ranges SF – 16/01/16
– Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Narrow-toed Feather-tailed Glider Acrobates pygmaeus Yarra Ranges SF – 24/05/16
– Musky Rat-kangaroo Hypsiprymnodon moschatus Mt Lewis – 11/12/16
– Rufous Bettong Aepyprymnus rufescens – Guestwick Ecolodge – 18/03/16
– Eastern Bettong Bettongia gaimardi – Gravelly Ridge – 17/07/16
– Brush-tailed Bettong (Woylie) Bettongia penicillata – Perup area – 01/11/16
– Long-nosed Potoroo Potorus tridactylus Port Arthur – 28/01/16
– Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo Dendrolagus lumholtzi Nerada Tea Plantation – 12/12/16
– Black-striped Wallaby Macropus dorsalis Bunya Mountains NP – 19/03/16
– Tammar Wallaby Notamacropus eugenii – Perup area – 01/11/16
– Western Brush Wallaby Notamacropus irma – Dryandra – 02/11/16
– Western Grey Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus Deniliquin area – 09/04/16
– Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Agile Wallaby Notamacropus agilis Cairns – 10/12/16
– Pretty-faced Wallaby Macropus parryi Canungra area – 18/03/16
– Red-necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus Lake Wollumbulla – 01/01/16
– Black-footed Rock-wallaby Petrogale lateralis Mount Caroline NR – 31/10/16
– Mareeba Rock-wallaby Petrogale mareeba Granite Gorge – 11/12/16
– Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata Lake Perseverance – 19/03/16
– Yellow-footed Rock-Wallaby Petrogale xanthopus – Telowie Gorge – 26/10/16
– Tasmanian Pademelon Thylogale billardierii Sorell -28/01/16
– Red-legged Pademelon Thylogale stigmatica – Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– Red-necked Pademelon Thylogale thetis – Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– Red Kangaroo Osphranter rufus – Deniliquin area – 09/04/16
– Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor Country Vic – 01/01/16
– Eastern Blossum-bat Syconycteris australis Kingfisher Park – 10/12/16
– Black Flying-fox Pteropus alecto Logan – 17/03/16
– Spectacled Flying-fox Pteropus conspicillatus Cairns – 10/12/16
– Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus Huntingdale – 01/01/16
– Little Red Flying-fox Pteropus scapulatus
– Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat Hipposideros diadema Kingfisher Park – 10/12/16
– White-striped Freetail Bat Tadarida australis Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– Little Bent-winged Bat Miniopterus australis Kingfisher Park – 11/12/16
– Lesser Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi Gelantipy 03/10/16
– Gould’s Wattled Bat Chalinolobus gouldii Wilson Reserve – 16/01/16
– Chocolate Wattled Bat Chalinolobus morio Bunya Mountains NP – 19/03/16
– Eastern Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens orion Wilson Reserve – 16/01/16
– Large Forest bat Vespadelus darlingtoni Yarra Ranges SF – 07/09/16
– Southern Forest Bat Vespadelus regulus Jilbadgi Nature Reserve – 30/10/16
– Little Forest Bat Vespadelus vulturnus Cheltenham Park – 26/11/16
– Large-footed Myotis Myotis macropus Mareeba Wetlands – 11/12/16
– Water Rat (Rakali) Hydromys chrysogaster Sandringham – 21/02/16
– Fawn-footed Melomys Melomys cervinipes Lamington NP – 17/03/16
– New Holland Mouse Pseudomys novaehollandiae Wilsons Promontory NP – 09/07/16
– Giant White-tailed Rat Uromys caudimaculatus Kingfisher Park – 11/12/16
– * House Mouse Mus musculus Pakenham bypass – 20/02/16
– Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– * Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus Karkarook Park – 13/06/16
– * Black Rat Rattus rattus Huntingdale – 20/01/16
– Australian Sea Lion Neophoca cinerea Lawrence Rocks – 10/01/16
– New Zealand Fur Seal Arctocephalus forsteri Lawrence Rocks – 10/01/16
– Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus Lawrence Rocks – 10/01/16
– Leopard Seal Hydrurga leptonyx Mornington Peninsula – 20/09/16
– * Fox Vulpes vulpes Country NSW – 01/01/16
– * Feral Cat Felis catus Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– * European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Country NSW – 01/01/16
– * Brown Hare Lepus europaeus Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– * Feral Goat Capra hircus You Yangs – 04/12/16
– * Hog Deer Axis porcinus Wilsons Prom NP – 25/04/16
– * Fallow Deer Dama dama Kosciusko NP – 02/01/16
– * Sambar Rusa unicolor Bunyip SP – 04/01/16
– Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis Cape Schank – 03/08/16
– Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Phillip Island – 09/07/16
– Australian Hump-backed Dolphin Sousa sahulensis Tin Can Bay – 21/03/16
– Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Portland inshore – 10/01/16
– Common Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Portland pelagic – 07/02/16
– Indo-Pacific Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops aduncus Newcastle Harbour – 26/12/16
– Burrunan Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops australis Frankston – 11/06/16
– Long-flippered pilot whale Globicephala melas Portland pelagic – 10/01/16
* – introduced riff raff
Jon Hall’s excellent site is a much referenced resource – http://mammalwatching.com/
Also join the Facebook Group “Australian Mammal Watching”