Cat predation of Kangaroo Island dunnarts in aftermath of bushfire.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hodgens P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9203781 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Cat predation of Kangaroo Island dunnarts in aftermath of bushfire.
Hodgens Patrick P Groffen Heidi H O'Handley Ryan R Vyas Ajai A Lignereux Louis L
Scientific reports 20220616 1
The Kangaroo Island dunnart (Sminthopsis aitkeni) is a critically endangered marsupial species with an estimated population of ~ 500 individuals found only on the western end of Australia's third largest island. Severe bushfires recently burnt more than 98% of its known and predicted habitat that was already under pressure from fragmentation. After the fires, we found evidence of eight individual dunnarts in the digestive tract of seven feral cats, out of the 86 collected in remaining unburnt re ...[more]
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