Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

4.4Overview of methods for arboreal mammals

Table 4: Arboreal mammals listed on the EPBC Act.

Family	EPBC Act	Species	Common name	Average body weight (g)
Petauridae	Endangered	Gymnobelideus leadbeateri	Leadbeater's possum	122–133
	Endangered	Petaurus gracilis	Mahogany glider	365–407
	Vulnerable	Petaurus australis unnamed subsp.	Fluffy glider	498
Pseudocheiridae	Vulnerable	Pseudocheirus occidentalis	Western ringtail possum	575
Muridae	Vulnerable	Mesembriomys macrurus	Golden-backed tree rat	267
Dasyuridae	Endangered	Phascogale calura	Red-tailed phascogale	52

The survey techniques used to detect small and medium-sized arboreal 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 small and medium-sized arboreal mammals in the field:

• 
  daytime searches for the presence of potentially suitable habitat resources for nest or den sites, such as tree hollows, dreys or tree species used exclusively as shelter sites by some species (see species profiles for details), and food trees, including characteristic feeding signs and/or favoured food trees (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.1)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of the species' presence, such as scratches on tree trunks and scats beneath trees (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2)
  
• 
  stagwatching to distinguish arboreal species emerging from tree hollows or nests at dusk, with this being the primary detection technique for some species (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.4)
  
• 
  spotlight surveys in suitable vegetation types for the presence of active or vocalising individuals at night (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.3)
  
• 
  call detection and/or call playback surveys for vocal species, in addition to playback of the calls of owl predators that are known to induce a call response (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.3)
  
• 
  arboreal Elliott B or cage trapping surveys to determine the presence, and to distinguish between similar arboreal species (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.9)
  
• 
  longer timeframe studies could consider using nest boxes, particularly for Leadbeater’s possum.
  

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.

4.5Overview of methods for medium-sized ground-dwelling species

Table 5: Medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals listed under the EPBC Act.

Family	EPBC Act status	Species name	Common name	Average body weight (g)
Peramelidae	Endangered	Perameles bougainville bougainville	Western barred bandicoot (Shark Bay)	226
	Vulnerable	Isoodon auratus auratus	Golden bandicoot (mainland)	310
	Vulnerable	Isoodon auratus barrowensis	Golden bandicoot (Barrow Island)	310
	Endangered	Isoodon obesulus obesulus	Southern brown bandicoot	775
	Vulnerable	Isoodon obesulus nauticus	Southern brown bandicoot (Nyuts Archipelago)	775
	Vulnerable	Perameles gunnii gunnii	Eastern barred bandicoot (Tas.)	800
	Endangered	Perameles gunnii unnamed subsp.	Eastern barred bandicoot (mainland)	975
	Vulnerable	Macrotis lagotis	Greater bilby	1350
Dasyuridae	Vulnerable	Myrmecobius fasciatus	Numbat	472
Potoroidae	Endangered	Potorous gilbertii	Gilbert's potoroo	875
	Endangered	Potorous longipes	Long-footed potoroo	1900
	Vulnerable	Potorous tridactylus tridactylus	Long-nosed potoroo (SE mainland)	1100
	Endangered	Bettongia tropica	Northern bettong	1200
	Vulnerable	Bettongia lesueur lesueur	Boodie, burrowing bettong (Shark Bay)	1500
	Vulnerable	Bettongia lesueur unnamed subsp.	Boodie, burrowing bettong (Barrow and Boodie Island)	~1500
	Extinct	Bettongia lesueur graii	Boodie (inland subspecies)
	Endangered	Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi	Woylie	1300
Macropodidae	Endangered	Lagorchestes hirsutus unnamed subsp.	Rufous hare wallaby (central mainland), mala	1255
	Vulnerable	Lagorchestes hirsutus bernieri	Rufous hare wallaby (Bernier Island)	1620
	Vulnerable	Lagorchestes hirsutus dorreae	Rufous hare wallaby (Dorre Island)	1660
	Vulnerable	Lagorchestes conspicillatus conspicillatus	Spectacled hare wallaby (Barrow Island)	3050
	Vulnerable	Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus	Banded hare wallaby	1700

The survey techniques used to detect medium-sized ground-dwelling species are similar regardless of the 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 medium-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, nests, burrows, scats or diggings (the survey technique is described in Section 3.2.)
  
• 
  collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird/mammal nests/dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2)
  
• 
  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)
  
• 
  Elliott B or cage trapping surveys (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.9 and 3.3.10)
  
• 
  camera traps (description of the survey technique is outlined in Section 3.3.6)
  
• 
  nest boxes (description of the survey technique is outlined in Section 3.3.6).
  

Other than camera traps and nest boxes, 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 is outlined in the species profiles.