Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

4.6Overview of methods for large-sized ground-dwelling mammals

Table 6: Large-sized ground-dwelling mammals listed on the EPBC Act.

Family	EPBC Act Status	Species name	Common name	Average body weight (kg)
Vombatidae	Vulnerable	Vombatus ursinus ursinus	Common wombat (Bass Strait)	19–32
	Endangered	Lasiorhinus krefftii	Northern hairy-nosed wombat	32.5 (females) 30.1 males)
Macropodidae	Vulnerable	Macropus robustus isabellinus	Barrow Island euro	Up to 25 (females) 46 (males)
	Vulnerable	Setonix brachyurus	Quokka	2.9 (females) 3.6 (males)
	Vulnerable	Petrogale lateralis lateralis	Black-flanked rock wallaby	3.5 (females) 4.5 (males)
	Vulnerable	Petrogale lateralis	Black-footed rock wallaby (West Kimberley)	3.5
	Vulnerable	Petrogale lateralis	Black-footed rock wallaby (Macdonnell Ranges race), warru	4.1
	Vulnerable	Petrogale lateralis hackettii	Recherche rock wallaby	5
	Vulnerable	Petrogale penicillata	Brush-tailed rock wallaby	6.3 (females) 7.9 (males)
	Endangered	Petrogale persephone	Proserpine rock wallaby	5.2 (females) 7.2 (males)
	Vulnerable	Petrogale xanthopus xanthopus	Yellow-footed rock wallaby	6–11
	Endangered	Onychogalea fraenata	Bridled nailtail wallaby	4–5 (females) 5–8 (males)
	Extinct	Macropus eugenii eugenii	Tammar wallaby	7
Dasyuridae	Vulnerable	Dasyurus geoffroii*	Chuditch, western quoll	0.89 (females) 1.31 (males)
	Endangered	Dasyurus maculatus gracilis	Spotted-tailed quoll (north Queensland), yarri	Up to 4.0 (females) 7.0 (males)
	Vulnerable	Dasyurus maculatus maculatus	Spotted-tailed quoll (mainland and Tasmania)	Up to 4.0 (females) 7.0 (males)
	Endangered	Dasyurus hallucatus*	Northern quoll	Up to 0.69 (females) 1.12 (males)
	Endangered	Sarcophilus harrisii	Tasmanian devil	6.0 (females) 8.0 (males)

*The chuditch Dasyurus geoffroii and the northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus are grouped here among the large-sized mammals; however, their average body weight is less than the 3 kilogram cut-off point otherwise used to class large-sized species.
The survey techniques used to detect large-sized ground-dwelling species are similar regardless of habitat. Following the desktop study and habitat investigation (see ‘conducting surveys in six steps’), implementation of surveys should be according to a stratified sampling design. Where possible, survey effort should target habitat known to be suitable for listed species (if such information is available; see individual species profiles). The recommended survey effort is based on a study area of 5 hectares or less; for sites larger than this, surveys should be replicated within habitat types and/or plant communities.
The following survey techniques are currently used or appropriate to detect large-sized ground-dwelling mammals in the field:

• 
  daytime searches for the presence of potentially suitable habitat resources for nests or burrows, such as a dense understorey, hollow logs, grass hummocks and boulder or rock outcrops (see species profiles for details). Description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of the species' presence such as tracks, scats, dens or scrapes (The survey technique is described in Section 3.2), collecting predator scats for species identification if required
  
• 
  daytime searches for active fauna conducted either on foot or from a vehicle according to the effort recommended in Section 3.3.1
  
• 
  possibly the collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird and mammal nests and dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Sections 3.2.2 and 3.2.3)
  
• 
  observations conducted at potential shelter sites, such as a burrow or a hollow log (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.4)
  
• 
  soil plot surveys conducted according to the description of the technique and the recommended effort provided in Section 3.3.2
  
• 
  spotlight surveys conducted on foot through suitable habitat (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is provided in Section 3.3.3)
  
• 
  hair sampling device surveys (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.7)
  
• 
  depending on the species, cage trapping surveys are sometimes recommended (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.10)
  
• 
  camera traps (see Section 3.3.6).
  

These survey methods are widely prescribed in the state and territory guideline documents reviewed (see appendix) and have been developed and informed by the results of research. A description of these survey techniques and the recommended minimum effort for a subject site up to 5 hectares in size is outlined in the species profiles.