Seasonal Variations of Faecal Cortisol Metabolites in Koalas in South East Queensland.

ABSTRACT: The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an endemic marsupial inhabiting four states of Australia. Urbanisation, declining habitat, drought and fires are threatening the survival of this flagship species. These threats may cause acute and chronic stress in koalas, which might also be associated with occurrence of infectious diseases in koala populations. Stress may induce an increase in cortisol reflected in increased faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) values. To be able to use faecal cortisol metabolites to measure stress levels in this species, our aim was to determine baseline values for males and females during breeding and non-breeding season. A total of 351 defecations were collected fortnightly, twice a day, for 12 months from koalas at a wildlife facility in South East Queensland

SUBMITTER: Santamaria F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8227722 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature