scholarly journals Seasonality and frequency of snake and goanna incursions on an Australian agricultural institute and the attitudes of staff regarding coexistence

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
Matthew Mo
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Human Safety ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Demonstration Site ◽  
Office Location

A number of snakes and goannas persist in areas frequented by humans, such as the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in New South Wales, Australia. This institute is used as both an office location and an agricultural demonstration site, which inevitably results in snakes and goannas coming close to institute buildings, prompting concerns for human safety. Reports of snakes and goannas within 100m of institute buildings were collected over a three-year period; an analysis of those data identified a seasonal pattern of incursions by three species between September and March. A short verbal survey revealed that more staff had encountered goannas than snakes. Most were cautious to curious when snakes and goannas were reported, whereas only a minority admitted to being fearful when snakes were reported.

Seasonal Pattern of Androgen Secretion in the Male Platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, in the Upper Barnard River, New South Wales.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
N.P. New ◽  
J.M. Jakubowski ◽  
G.M. Stone ◽  
R.C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Peripheral Blood Plasma ◽  
Androgen Secretion

The seasonal pattern of androgen secretion in free-ranging male platypuses was determined in samples of peripheral blood plasma and rectal contents collected between February and November 1996, from animals captured in the Upper Barnard River, New South Wales. Cortisol concentrations in peripheral blood were also measured and seasonal changes in body condition were assessed. Androgen concentrations in samples from the different sources all followed a distinctly seasonal pattern, being low from February to June, rising in July to reach the highest values in August before reducing to lower values by September. The high concentrations occurred within a relatively narrow time frame and appeared to be well synchronised among individuals. Within animal comparisons showed that androgen concentrations in excreta were highly correlated with values for blood. Cortisol concentrations were higher in July and August than other months. Males lost body condition during this period (as indicated by changes in the Tail Volume Index) and it is suggested that they were under increased stress at this time due to rivalry between males around the mating season.

The Demography of Feral Pigs (Sus Scrofa) in Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales.

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Saunders
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Protein Food ◽  
Feral Pigs ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Postnatal Mortality ◽  
Alpine Population ◽  
Autumn And Winter

The demography of a sub-alpine population of feral pigs was examined at Kosciusko National Park in south-eastern New South Wales. Reproductive data and age structures indicated a seasonal pattern of breeding, most births occurring in summer and autumn. It is proposed that a decreasing availability of high protein food in the autumn and winter months caused reduced rates of conception. Sows produced 0.84 litters per year with postnatal mortality as high as 85%. The population appeared relatively stable at a density of 1.6 pigs kg-2. Hunting, although illegal in a national park, removed 4.4-15.4% of pigs each year. The overall health and body condition of pigs was good, with no evidence of heavy parasitic burdens or disease. Age-specific body weight and body length in this study were greater than those reported for pigs in semi-arid wester New South Wales.

Biology of the Wild Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Parer ◽  
JA Libke
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Timing Of Reproduction ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Semi Arid

Shot samples of rabbits were taken every eight weeks for two years at four sites in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Age structure differed between sites. The two sites at which rabbits were controlled by poisoning had the youngest age structures; the site where rabbits were not controlled had the the oldest age structure, the lowest density, the least myxomatosis and the highest production of young per female. The seasonal percentages of males in the samples were inversely proportional to the percentages of lactating females. Rabbits that were recovering from myxomatosis had higher infestations of Graphidium strigosum than rabbits that had active myxomatosis or no symptoms. At one of the sites, rabbits with myxomatosis were shot on every sampling occasion. Differences between sites, in duration and timing of reproduction, were very small compared with differences between rabbit populations from climatically different regions of Australasia; annual production of young per female older than six months varied between sites from 23.7 to 26.5 compared with the range of 15-53 for Australasia. The percentage of pregnant females and fertile males was highest in late spring and fell to zero for 1-2 months in summer. This seasonal pattern of reproduction is intermediate between the pattern found in some high-rainfall Australasian environments, where more than 30% of the females are pregnant in all months, and the patterns in arid, semi-arid and subalpine environments, where no females are pregnant for 3-6 months of the year.

Pasture seed theft by ants in northern New South Wales

1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (79) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
GG Johns ◽  
LR Greenup
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Exponential Type ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Festuca Arundinacea ◽  
New South ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Probability Information ◽  
Coated Seed

To obtain probability information for the theft of oversown seed by ants in northern New South Wales, the seasonal pattern of theft of both bare and coated seed of Trifolium repens, Medicago sativa, Festuca arundinacea and Phalaris tuberosa was monitored at both Armidale and Tamworth. Average values for seed removed within 24 hours of placement ranged from < 1 per cent at Armidale and c. 25 per cent at Tamworth during winter to summer values of c. 40 per cent and c. 90 per cent for the two locations respectively. It was concluded that the theft of oversown seed by ants could be a problem in any month at Tamworth and in all but the winter months at Armidale. At both locations more phalaris seed was taken than seed of other species. Using coated seed significantly reduced theft at both locations. However, it was considered that the coating effect may often be of little practical value. At Armidale, theft rates from sites on a lateritic podsol were on average 47 per cent greater than the rates observed at sites on a black earth soil type. Theft rate was related to mean air temperature at both Armidale and Tamworth. For both bare and coated seed the theft rate for a particular temperature was generally much greater at Tamworth than at Armidale. Because of the spatial variability of theft encountered at both locations it was concluded that a simple exponential type extrapolation from the 24 hour theft data for longer periods of time would be unwise.

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