Short-Beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) Home Range at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, NSW [article]

Georgia Jane Badgery, Keith Leggett, Jasmin Lawes
2020 bioRxiv   pre-print
Echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) are found Australian-wide and appear to be remarkably well-adapted to arid zones, yet, nearly all echidna research has been conducted in temperate, tropical and alpine zones. This study investigated the home range and movement of echidnas in western New South Wales. Radio telemetry tracking was used to locate the echidnas daily during the study period (March-May 2019 and August 2019); the home range was 1.47± 1.21 km2. This is over twice the reported home range
more » ... of temperate environments (>0.65 km2) suggesting that echidnas exhibit larger home ranges in arid zones. This study provides insight into the movement and home range of echidnas in arid zones, revealing that desert echidnas have large home ranges, dependent on the availability of resources.
doi:10.1101/2020.11.02.364687 fatcat:fzj5klnhm5cpxlwfmpdjuphmau