The mammalian fauna of Greater Melbourne: diversity, loss, adaptation and change

2011·5 MB·English

by  Peter W, Loyn Menkhorst

—
Contributions
The mammalian fauna ofGreater Melbourne:
diversity, loss, adaptation and change
W
Peter Menkhorst and Richard H Loyn
ArthurRylahInstituteforEnvironmentalResearch,POBox137HeidelbergVIC3084.
Email:[email protected]
Abstract
Wecollatedandanalysedrecordsofmammalspecies (nativeandintroduced) fromacross32Local Govern-
mentAreasthatcomprisetheGreaterMelbourneregion.Recordsofeachspecieswereexaminedfortemporal
changes in presence or absence. The region has a particularlydiverse mammalian fauna with records of92
species, including 19 marine mammalsthathavebeen recorded in Port Phillip. Thistotalrepresents 65%of
Victoriasmammalianfauna.Aboutone-thirdofthe51 nativeterrestrialspecieshaveundergoneademonstra-
bledeclineintheregion,tothepointwheretheirfuturepresenceisindoubt.Fivespeciesarenolongerfound
intheregion andthestatus ofanotherthreeisuncertain. In contrast, upto fivenativeterrestrialspeciesare
thoughttohaveincreasedinabundanceinrecentdecades,includingthespectacularcolonisationofthecityby
theGrey-headedFlying-foxasayear-roundresident.(TheVictorianNaturalist128(5)2011,233-248)
Keywords: urbanmammals;historicalchange; decliningmammals;colonisation;adaptation
Introduction
Melbourneisayoungcity,havingbegunlife176 manybeingofEuropeanorigin,orfromnorth-
yearsago,in 1835,anditwasofficiallydeclared ernorwesternAustralia.Thesenon-indigenous
a cityby Queen Victoria in 1847. Melbourne’s plantings have altered the seasonal pattern of
population grew rapidly, reaching 29000 by foodproduction forfrugivorous, nectarivorous
1851 and 125000 ten years later, after the gold and insectivorous species, providing a greater
rush ofthe 1850s (Dingle 1984). Melbourne is varietyoffoodthantheoriginalvegetationcom-
now averylarge city ofover 4 million people. munities (forexampleseeWilliamsetal. 2006).
As defined here it includes 32 Local Govern- This has had both positive and negative effects
mentAreas (LGAs) whichtotal over8800kmL on indigenous mammals. There are also large
Urbanisedareascoverabout4000km^(Fig. 1). areas ofnative vegetation, degraded to varying
The Greater Melbourne region includes di- degrees,includingacorridorextendingforover
verse environments, straddling parts offive of 50kmalongtheYarraRiver,culminatinginthe
Victorias terrestrial biogeographic regions innercityYarraBendbushland. Outernational
the Victorian Volcanic Plain, Otway Plain, parks such as Dandenong Ranges, Churchill,
Gippsland Plain, Central Victorian Uplands Organ Pipes,YarraRanges,Mornington Penin-
and Highlands-Southern Fall, and one marine sula and Point Nepean National Parks, Bunyip
region, Victorias Embayments bioregion. The State Park and the Port Phillip Heads Marine
climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry sum- National Parkprovideextensiveareas ofhigher
mers and cool moist winters, though rain can qualityhabitat.
be expected in all months. There is, however, a Fauna surveys in the Melbourne region be-
strongrainfallgradientfromwesttoeastacross gan in 1855 with expeditions bythe first Gov-
the Greater Melbourne region, with the mean ernment Zoologist, Wilhelm Blandowski, to
mm
annual rainfall varying from about 400 the Yarra Ranges and Mornington Peninsula
on the Victorian Volcanic Plain in the west to (Blandowski 1856; Menkhorst 2009). Over
morethan 1300mmattheUpperYarraDamin 100yearspassedbeforefurthercomprehensive
theHighlands-SouthernFallbioregion. mammal surveys were undertaken in the area
Within the urban areas are many parks and (asdistinctfromtheopportunisticcollectionof
privatehouse gardenswhichprovide a mixture specimenrecords),mostlybyamateurmammal
of indigenous and non-indigenous trees and surveygroups (e.g. Callanan and Gibson 1977;
shrubs.Non-indigenousplantingspredominate. Seebeck 1977; Hampton et al. 1982). The Vic-
Voll28 (5) 2011 233
Contributions
Fig. 1. Map showing the Greater Melbourne area (green shading) and the urbanised parts ofGreater Meh
bourne(redshading).
torian Government initiated systematic fauna literature, and those submitted by members of
surveysundertheauspicesoftheLandConser- thepublic (Menkhorst 1995aAppendix 1).
vation Council of Victoria between 1970 and For completeness, introduced species that
1995 (Clode 2006) and these provide a major have formed wild populations, and marine
source ofrecords used inthispaper (forexam- mammals that have been recorded in Port
ple, Lumsden etal. 1991). Phillip are also considered part ofthe fauna of
Methods Greater Melbourne. To discern changes to the
fGrreoamtetrheMSehlibroeuorfnWeyisnhdehraemdeifnintehdeawsesetxtaernoduinndg amnadmmtaoldiesacnribfeautnhaemofamtmhealMeclobmomuurnnietieresgitohna,t
persist in both the total region and in the ur-
the hinterland of Port Phillip to include the banisedpartsofMelbourne,VBArecordsfrom
Shires of Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula
Greater Melbourne and the smaller urban area
andCardinia (Fig. 1). wereextractedinSeptember2010andsumma-
The Victorian Biodiversity Atlas (VBA, for-
risedas thenumberofrecords perspecies, and
merly Atlas ofVictorian Wildlife) is a compu-
yearoflastrecordofeachspecies.Thisinforma-
ter database maintained by the Department of
Sustainability and Environment that contains tionwassupplementedbyareviewofthelitera-
locality records ofmammals in Victoria from ture pertaining to mammals in the Melbourne
area (e.g. Blandowski 1856; Callanan and Gib-
theearliestphasesofEuropean occupation un-
son 1977; Seebeck 1977, 1984, Ambrose 1979;
stdieelarrtichvheeedrpsrf,ersoMemuntsGedoauvyme.rInstpmieencncitlmuedfneasuncvaaettastlueordgvueeryses,c,ortrdhese- H19a8m8p;tLounmsedteanl.et1a9l8.2;199B1r;ovwannadnerd RHeoerr2o0c0k4)s
and to ecological studies ofparticular species.
234 TheVictorian Naturalist
Contributions
Theopportunisticobservationsofbothauthors the urban area are listed in Table 2. Note how-
overmorethan40 yearsoflivinginMelbourne ever that the rank orders may not accurately
—
werealsodrawnuponwhereappropriate. reflect abundance in the case of mammals
The number ofVBA records ofeach species several anthropogenic factors such as ease of
in the total area and the urbanised subset of detection, public interest, and perceived pest
Greater Melbourne were tabulated, along with statusstronglyinfluencepeoples motivationto
the year oflast record for each species in each reportsightings.
area(Appendix 1).Thesedatawerethenexam- Species which have changed in abundance
inedto investigatethe attrition ofspecies from
overtime
the Melbourne region within three broad time
Species whose abundance has clearly changed
periods, pre-1900, 1900-1949 and 1950-1999.
over time are discussed below, grouped into
Forthepurposesofthisstudy,speciesrecorded threebroadperiodstoassistanalysis—pre1900,
since 2000 are considered to be still extant in 1900-1949and 1950-1999. Specieswhichhave
theregion.
beenrecordedafter 1999areassumedtobestill
Results presentin 2011. TheVBAcontainsfewrecords
The VBA contained 33939 records of70 spe- of common forest species in the last decade
cies ofterrestrial mammal and 258 records of from forests on the urban fringe, and in most
19 species of marine mammal (Appendix 1). cases we believe this reflects a lack of formal
Records from within the urbanised part of surveys,ratherthan anactual decline.
rmGeraceloasrtdeswreMorefeltbecorlruaesrssntirefiiaetldotsaaplselceidneso5)n68-(7umra(br1ai6nn.e7%smpoeafcmiae-lsl TSpheecrieesiswrheiacsohnhtaovbeeldieecvleintehadtPtrhere1e9s0p0eciesmay
havebecomeregionallyextinctbefore 1900:
even though Australian Fur Seals and Bur-
runan dolphins are occasionally recorded in Southern BettongBettongiagaimardi
the Yarra River estuary), and 62 species were The Southern Bettong is listed as being sighted
represented (Appendix 1). Based on known bymembersoftheFieldNaturalistsClubofVic-
occurrences nearby, and their ecological re- toriawhileonan expeditionfromHealesvilleto
quirements, three other species are considered the upper reaches of the Yarra River (specifi-
likely to have—inhabited the study area in his- callyto theYarra Falls at approximately 37° 45'
torical times Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous S, 146°06'N) (Anon 1891,asHypsiprimnuscu-
tridactylus. White-footed Rabbit Rat Conilurus niculatus). This record is somewhat perplexing
albipesand Long-eared RatPseudomysauritus. because the dominant habitat through which
Conversely,newspeciesarestillbeingaddedto the expedition travelled seems atypical for this
the list as distributions change or more inten- species—tall, dense and wet forest, whereas
sivesurveysandnewsurveytechniquesleadto in Tasmania, where it remains common, the
increased detection probabilities. For example, Southern Bettong prefers drier, grassy forests
the species diversity ofinsectivorous bats that on poor soils (Rose and Johnson 2008). ITow-
are found in suburban Melbourne is higher ever,thespeciesmayhaveoccupieddrier,grassy
thanpreviouslyunderstood, andthe successful foreston ridgelines in the Yarra Ranges (where
occupation ofMelbourne by the Grey-headed dry-forest birds such as Scarlet Robin Petroica
Flying-fox Pteropuspoliocephalus may well be boodang and Spotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma
followedbythe BlackFlying-foxPteropusalec- punctata still persist). At the time ofEuropean
to which is also extending its range southward occupation,theSouthernBettongwasprobably
and was found for the first time in Melbourne widespread in grassy open-forest across south-
inverysmallnumbersinJuly2010. ern and central Victoria (Seebeck 1995a), but
Table 1 provides a breakdown of these 92 therearenorecordsfromthe20thcentury.
species (70 terrestrial, 19 marine plus 3 likely
to have occurred) into the major taxonomic White-footedRabbitRatConilurusalbipes
groupsrepresented.ITie 12mostcommonlyre- Apparently widespread in open forest and
portedspeciesacrosstheentireareaandwithin woodland across much of south-eastern Aus-
Voll28 (5) 2011 235
Contributions
Table 1.Numberofspeciesofindigenousandintroducedmammalsinthemajortaxonomicgroupingsrepre-
sentedintheGreaterMelbourneregion.
Group Indigenous Introduced Total
Monotremes 2 2
Polyprotodontmarsupials 12 12
Diprotodontmarsupials 16 16
Flying-foxes 3 3
Insectivorousbats 17 17
Rodents 8 4 12
Seals 6 6
Eutherianlandcarnivores 4 4
Ungulates 5 5
Lagomorphs 2 2
Cetaceans 13 13
Totals 77 15 92
Table2. The 12mostcommonlyreportedmammalspeciesintheVictorian BiodiversityAtlasdatabasefrom
GreaterMelbourne(A)andintheMelbourneurbanarea(B).
A.GreaterMelbourne B.Melbourneurbanareas
Rank Species Rank Species
I CommonRingtailPossum 1 Grey-headedFlying-fox
2 Koala 2 CommonBrushtailPossum
3 CommonBrushtailPossum 3 CommonRingtailPossum
4 EuropeanRabbit 4 RedFox
5 EasternGreyKangaroo 5 EuropeanRabbit
6 BushRat 6 HouseMouse
7 RedFox 7 EasternGreyKangaroo
8 AgileAntechinus 8 BlackRat
9 BlackWallaby 9 Platypus
10 Grey-headedFlying-fox 10 SugarGlider
11 SugarGlider 11 Koala
12 HouseMouse 12 Short-beakedEchidna
tralia at the time ofEuropean occupation, the entlya common animal in grassland and open
White-footed Rabbit Rat was well-known to woodland in south-western Victoria until the
rural people during the 1840s and 1850s (See- early 1850s alter which it rapidly disappeared
beck and Menkhorst 2000; Menkhorst 2009) (Medlin 2008). It is plausible, but not known
but declined to extinction extremely rapidly, with certainty, that the species occurred across
with thelastspecimensbeingcollectedin 1862 the Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion, includ-
(WilliamsandMenkhorst 1995). ingintheWerribeedistrict.
Long-eared RatPseudomysauritus 1900-1949
The Long-eared Rat has only recently been Threenativespeciesdeclinedprecipitouslydur-
reassessed as a full species (G. Medlin pers. ingthe firsthalfofthe20thcentury:
comm), having previously been considered
EasternQuollDasyurusviverrinus
to be conspecific with the widespread, arid-
country Plains Mouse Pseudomys australis. TheEasternQuollwasonceverycommonacross
Abundant sub-fossil material (Wakefield 1964, much of Victoria (Seebeck 1984a; Menkhorst
1974 as Pseudomyssp) and the observations of 1995b) but steadily declined through the first
GeorgeAugustusRobinson during 1841 (quot- halfofthe 20thcentury. The last recorded Vic-
torian individuals survived in dense riparian
ed by Seebeck 1984a (as Pseudomys australis))
scrub and rock outcrops along the Yarra River
indicate that the Long-eared Rat was appar-
236 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
and its tributary Darebin Creek in the Mel- 1950-1999
bourne suburbs ofKew, Darebin and Fairfield The VBA contains few recent records in the
until the 1950s (Menkhorst 1995b). This is the Greater Melbourne area of common forest
onlyVictorianmammalspeciesknowntohave mammals including Agile Antechinus Antechi-
survived longer in an urban environmentthan nus agilis, Bush RatRattusfuscipes. Swamp Rat
in the surrounding less urbanised areas, pre- R. lutreolus. Greater Glider Petauroides volans
sumably protected by the intervening suburbs and Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis,
from the threats that were driving itto extinc- and virtually no records ofthese species from
tioninruralVictoria, suchashuntingandpoi- urbanised areas. However, we know they can
soning, fox predation and disease (Menkhorst stillbe found quite commonlyin extensive for-
1995b). A similar pattern of delayed decline estsintheeastofthestudyarea(e.g.Dandenong
within a suburban area took place in New Ranges,YarraRangesandBunyipStatePark).
South Wales where the last records ofEastern Theretreatoftheseforestspeciescorresponds
Quoll were in Nelson Park, Vaucluse, Sydney to therapidexpansion ofsuburban Melbourne
in the early 1960s (Nelson 1968). A captive intotheforestedhillstotheeastandnorth-east,
population derived from Tasmanian animals particularlythe Dandenong Ranges. Ofthe ar-
hasbeenestablishedbehindfox-prooffencesat boreal species, only the Common Brushtail
Mt Rothwell near Little River, just outside the Possum Trichosurusvulpecula. Common Ring-
presentstudyarea. tail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus. Sugar
Glider Petarus breviceps and Koala Phascolarc-
EasternBarredBandicootPeramelesgunnii
toscinereusremain insuburbanMelbourne.
Formerly widespread in the grasslands ofthe The small, ground-dwelling mammals have
Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion, records of also fared badly during this period—few spe-
theEastern Barred Bandicootfromthe eastern
cies survive even low-intensity urbanisation.
parts ofits range, includingfrom grasslands in TheEastern Quoll, Long-nosedBandicootPer-
thewestofMelbourne,peteredoutinthe 1950s ameles nasuta and Southern Brown Bandicoot
A(MreenmknhaonrtstpoapnudlSateieobnecikn1a9n9d0;arSoeuenbedcTkla1m9i9l5tbo).n Irseomoadionninogbesfourlussoalmleshyoeawresdisnigmnsodoiffrieesdiliheanbcie-,
has supplied stock for a captive-breeding and tats such as suburban golf-courses and parks.
release program that has had limited success.
However, for each ofthese species this appar-
Re-introducedpopulationsinthe GreaterMel- ent resilience was insufficient, and they were
hourneareaexistbehindfox-prooffencesatMt eventually lost from urbanised areas during
Rothwell and at Woodlands Historic Park in this period. Small and vulnerable populations
Greenvale. The mainland population is geneti- ofthetwo bandicoots survive in areas ofnatu-
callydistinct from those in Tasmania, perhaps ralvegetation on the outskirts ofGreater Mel-
atthelevelofasubspecies (Robinson 1992). bourne, with larger, more resilientpopulations
Red-belliedPademelon Thylogalebillardierii inforestsintheeastoftheregion.
Althoughthereisonlyonedefiniterecordfrom Species lost from urbanised areas include all
thestudyarea, itseems likelythatthe Red-bel- bar one (Water Rat Hydromys chrysogaster) of
liedPademelonwouldhavebeenwidespreadin the eight species ofindigenous rodent, and all
densescrubonthesandycoastalplainsaround ofthe eight species of carnivorous marsupial.
PortPhillip—thereisaMuseumVictoriaspeci- Brush-tailed Phascogales Phascogale tapoatafa
men labelled Werribee 1881 and it was appar- continue to inhabit dry forests in the Warran-
entlyacommonanimal in othercoastallocali- dytetoStAndrewsarea,evenamonghousesin
ties including the Gippsland Lakes (Williams places where special attention is given to con-
1995). Basedonthetimingofitsdisappearance serving native vegetation and limiting owner-
in other parts ofVictoria, such as around the ship ofpetcatsanddogs (e.g. BendofIslands).
GippslandLakes,itislikelythatthespecieswas Microchiroptera (insectivorous bats) seem
also lost from the Port Phillip region early in moreresilient, with upto 10 speciesstillfound
the20thcentury. withintheMelbournesuburbs (Appendix 1).
Voll28 (5) 2011 237
Contributions
The other major group of species lost from persistsacrossmostofGreaterMelbourne. The
Greater Melbourne during this time was char- CommonBrushtailPossumisregardedasapest
acteristic ofcoastal heathyvegetation commu- by a section ofMelbourne’s populace because
nities, which were formerly widespread on the ofdamage that it causes to ornamental shrubs
low-lying plains around Port Phillip, includ- and trees, and because those possums which
ing the Mornington Peninsula. Such species den in the roofs of houses can cause damage
include the Eastern Pygmy Possum Cercarte- and make unwanted noise. However, the only
tus nanus. White-footed Dunnart Sminthopsis research into the magnitude ofthese problems
leucopus and New Holland Mouse Pseudomys found that almost twice as many respondents
novaehollandiae. TheNewHolland Mousenow had positive attitudes towards the Common
appears to be a definite recent loss from the Brushtail Possum as negative attitudes (Whit-
GreaterMelbourne region, havingdisappeared ingetal. 2010).
f74r)o,mCTryaanbbbou(rwnheer(e19it73w-a7s4)recaonrddeLdanignwa1r9r7i0n- Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheims
(1975-83) (Wilson 1996), for reasons which peregrinus
remainunclear,butprobablyreflectacombina- The Common Ringtail Possum has also ben-
tionofinappropriatefireregime,predationand efittedfromgardenswithtall,denseshrubsand
fragmentation ofhabitat. The pygmy-possum, is common and widespread across suburban
dunnart and Swamp Antechinus Antechinus Melbourne. Where there is a tall, dense shrub
minimusarelikelyto persist in heathyforest in layerthis species shelters in an arboreal drey it
Bunyip State Park in the far east ofthe study constructsfrom twigsandleaves. Wheredense
area,butsurveysarerequiredtoestablishthis. shrubs areabsent itcan persistbyshelteringin
A wild population ofthe introduced Eastern tree hollows or, rarely, in roofspaces. Seebeck
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis persisted (1977) found that the Common Ringtail Pos-
for some decades in some eastern suburbs sum had a more restricted distribution within
of Melbourne (Seebeck 1984b; Seebeck and Melbournethan thatoftheCommonBrushtail
Menkhorst 2000), the last records being from Possum. Our casual observations suggest that
Ripponleainthe 1950s. this may no longer be so, and that the Com-
monRingtailpopulationinGreaterMelbourne
Specieswhichhaveincreased may now be greater than that ofthe Common
Several species have defied the usual trend of Brushtail. However, Common Ringtail Pos-
decline,especiallyinrecentdecades,andflour- sums suffer from hyperthermia and dehydra-
ished in the suburbs or semi-rural regions of tion during days of extreme heat, and many
GreaterMelbourne. did not survive the hot spell in early February
Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus 2009, which culminated in the Black Saturday
bushfires (authors’ pers. obs). Marked declines
vulpecula
The Common Brushtail Possum has benefit- hdarvyeybeaeresnforbosmer1v9e9d7intone2a0r0b9y(fEo.reMsctNdaurbibngpetrhse
tedfrom the creation ofexoticgardensin Mel-
comm.).
bourne, which provide a greater variety and
seasonal availability offood than the original EasternGreyKangarooMacropusgiganteus
indigenousvegetation communities apparently Populations of Eastern Grey Kangaroos seem
did. Hence, higherpopulation densities can be toincreaserapidlywhenlandusechangesfrom
supported in Melbournethan in natural forest. apredominantlyfarmingcommunitytoamore
Common
Brushtails are also adaptable in the urbanised one. This seemingly paradoxical re-
den sites that theycan use; any lack ofmature sponse isprobablydueto the removal ofactive
trees with natural hollows is compensated by populationcontrolthatwasformerlyundertak-
theavailabilityofsuitablespacesintheroofsof en byfarmers, combinedwith reducedcompe-
buildings, or in artificial dens erected to pro- titionforfoodfromlivestock. Theresultishigh
vide alternatives to roofspaces. Despite seem- populations ofkangaroos in semi-rural, outer
ingly high levels ofroad mortality, the species suburbs, which create significant animal wel-
238 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
fare problems, including starvation resulting treediversityingardensandplantations across
from over-grazing duringtimesoflowrainfall, Melbourne (Williams et al. 2006). In 2002-03,
harassment by dogs, and collisions with vehi- the preferred campsite of this highly gregari-
cles. Large groups ofEastern Grey Kangaroos ous species was shifted by concerted manage-
(>100) havecausedproblems ofthissortinthe mentactionfromtheRoyalBotanicGardensin
ShireofWhittleseain recentyears. Smallnum- South Yarra to a natural riparian forest along
bers of Eastern Grey Kangaroos have taken the Yarra River at Kew, where it has remained.
up residence in open woodland as close to the In Melbourne, Grey-headed Flying-foxes suf-
CBD asHeidelberg. fer greatly during periods ofhot, dry weather
and considerable mortality has been recorded
KoalaPhascolarctoscinereus
on days ofextreme heatand dryingwinds. For
Following an initial catastrophic decline in example, on 7 February 2009 when the ambi-
the early 20th century, the Koala has been re- enttemperatureforMelbournereached46.4°C
introduced to most of the remaining suitable (BureauofMeteorologydata),about20%ofthe
habitat in Victoria (Menkhorst 2008), includ- colonyperished (vanderReeetal. 2009), indi-
ingareas alongthe Yarra Valleywithin Greater
cating that Melbourne is, at times, outside the
Melbourne. Populations persist in parks and
climatictoleranceofthespecies.
reserves in outer, north-eastern suburbs in-
cluding Wonga Park, Warrandyte, Park Or- Australian Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus
chards and Templestowe, and on the southern doriferus
Mornington Peninsula. The population of Australian Fur Seals that
breeds at Seal Rocks offPhillip Island has in-
Grey-headedFlying-foxPteropuspoliocephalus creased in number over recent years and an-
The Grey-headed Flying-fox (back cover) has
nual pup production is also increasing steadily
bhaeveen bpaeretnokfepMtel—botuherrnee’asrefaMunuasesiunmceVriecctoorrdisa t(hKisi,rkmwoosotdlyetsualb.-a2d0u1l0t).inCdoimvmideunaslsuraarteemwaikt-h
specimens collected at Queenscliff in 1884.
ing increased use ofstructures in Port Phillip
However, during the last 30 years its status in as haul-out sites for resting. Chinaman’s Hat,
Melbourne has changed from a sporadic visi- a former navigation structure which has been
tor (MenkhorstandDixon 1985)topermanent
speciallyrefurbished to provide a resting place
resident(vanderReeetal. 2006)andoneofthe for seals, regularly features 20 or more indi-
most abundant and visible mammal species in viduals and is the centrepiece ofa small swim-
the region. The flying-foxes spend the daylight
with-the-sealsecotourismindustry.
hoursinasingleextensive camp’alongtheYar-
ra River at Kew. Regular counts offlying-foxes SambarCervusunicolor
astheyleavethecampatduskindicatethatthis The Sambarisbyfarthe mostsuccessfulofthe
camp has exceeded 40000 individuals and has deer species introduced to Victoria during the
remained above 12000 in recentyears, even in 1860s and 1870s (Menkhorst 1995c) when the
mid-winter (R van der Ree unpubl. data). The acclimatisation movementhadstrongcommu-
southwards shift in distribution ofthis species, nity support. The species now occupies most
including a 750 km southward extension ofits forestedcountryin theEastern Highlands bio-
breeding range (Tidemann et al. 2008), and geographicregionandpartsoftheCentralVic-
its exponential occupation ofa vacant habitat torian Uplands (VBA data). Recognising the
niche in suburban Melbourne, is a remarkable damage that high populations of this brows-
illustration of adaptability. This distributional ing species can cause to rare vegetation com-
shift is perhaps encouragedbyhabitatloss and munities, the Victorian Government has listed
fragmentation in itsformercorerange,buthas ‘reduction in biodiversity ofnative vegetation
been enabled bythe creation ofa tolerable cli- by Sambar {Cervus unicolor)’ as a threatening
matic envelope within the metropolis ofMel- process under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee
bourneandtheprovisionofdiverse,year-round Act 1988. Thespecies iswellestablished in for-
food sources in the form ofgreatly increased estedareasofGreaterMelbourneandevidence
Vol 128 (5) 2011 239
Contributions
of increasing population densities and delete- Specieswhosecurrentstatusisuncertain
rious impacts on natural vegetation communi- Three species ofsmall mammal have not been
ties is ofconcern. NearYellingbo, high-density recorded inthesurveyareaformanyyears,but
Sambar populations have damaged understo- their absence from the record may reflect the
rey vegetation, causing opening and drying of decline in surveyeffort apparent since the mid
thespecialisedswamphabitatoftwoimportant 1990s, rather than actual declines. Interesting
threatened species, Leadbeater’s Possum and inland records ofthe Swamp Antechinus from
the Helmeted Honeyeater. They also browse BunyipStateParkin 1981 haveneverbeen rep-
shrubs and saplings planted by volunteers at- licated. The Common Dunnart Sminthopsis
temptingtorehabilitatehabitatforthosethreat- murinawasknowntooccurinthedryboxfor-
ened species, necessitating the construction of estsoftheChristmasHills-StAndrewsareaun-
expensivefencesaround revegetation sites. til the early 1990s. There have been no records
FallowDeerCervusdama for almost 20 years and its status in the region
tIhne1re99w5ertheefaevwaiflearballepionpfuolramtaitoinosnosfuFgaglelsotwedDteheart misyusnfkusncouwsnw.aTshkenBorwonadf-rtoomotsheevderaRlatsiMteassitnactoh-e
DandenongRangesduringthe 1970sandfrom
ciinesVipcetrosriisate(dMiennkthhoerGsrtea1t9e9r5dM)elabnodurinfethreegsipoe-n Bunyip State Parkin 1995. Its continuingpres-
numbers must have been very low. That situa- ence in theDandenongs seemsunlikelybutwe
are hopeful that populations persist in Bunyip
yteiaornsh,aasncdhpaonpgueldatdiroanmsatairceanlloywirnetahdeileynaspupianrgen1t6 State Park. A small population persists at Bel-
lell Creek in the far east ofthe study area and
in partsofthe urban fringein theShiresofNil-
lumbik,YarraRangesandCardinia,particularly it is likely that other populations persist in the
catchmentoftheUpperYarraDam. Systematic
wherethereareextensiveforest-pasturebound-
surveysarelongoverdue.
aries. This increase may result partly from the
The Dingo Canis lupus dingo was originally
illegal release ofanimals from deer farms, but
mayalso reflectareductioninhuntingpressure found throughout the study area in all terres-
thatisaconsequenceofchanginghumandemo- trialhabitats.Onceattemptstoestablishasheep
graphicsresultingfromtheincreasingurbanisa- grazingindustrybeganitwaspersecutedmerci-
lessly. Calls for abountybegan as earlyas June
tionoftheouterpartsofGreaterMelbourne.
1836 (Weidenofer 1967 cited in Hateley (un-
HumpbackWhaleMegaptera novaeangliae dated). Subsequentlystrychninewaswidelyde-
ThepopulationofHumpbackWhalesusingthe ployedasapoisonandgintrapslaid(Menkhorst
eastcoastofAustraliaasamigrationroutetothe 1995e, Hateleyundated) and the Dingo was re-
calvinggroundsoffQueenslandhasincreasedat moved from all but the most densely forested
about 11%perannumoverthepastfewdecades areas. Wild dogs still persist in the east ofthe
(Paterson etal. 1994). In line with this increase Greater Melbourne region but hybridisation
isanincreasedfrequencyofsightingsofHump- withferaldomesticdogsisnowthemajorthreat
backWhales in Port Phillip—sightingsarenow andwhetheranypureDingosremainismoot.
an annual event and most commonly occur in
SignificantSpecies
May-June, as the whales make theirway north Fromaconservationandpubliceducationper-
from Antarctic waters to sheltered waters in-
spective, at the State-wide scale, the Greater
side the Great Barrier Reef. The whales do not Melbourne region supports important popula-
remain long in Port Phillip, probably inadvert- tions ofseveral species. A personalviewofthe
ently passing through the Heads and taking
sometimeto realisethatitisaland-lockedbay. bsieglnoiwf.icant species of the region is presented
It seems likely that individuals that move east-
wardsthroughBassStrait,andmaybrieflyenter Southern BrownBandicootIsoodon obesulus
Port Phillip, have travelled up the west coast of Formerly widespread in the ‘sandbelt’ south-
Tasmaniaratherthan the more usual eastcoast eastern suburbs, this species has been in a
route(Warneke 1995a). steady decline and range contraction to the
240 TheVictorian Naturalist
Contributions
south-east for over 50 years (Menkhorst and Long-nosedBandicootPerameles nasuta
Seebeck 1990;Coatesetal. 2008).Itnowoccurs The Long-nosed Bandicoot appears to be the
insmallisolatedpopulationsinremnanthabitat most resilient ofthe Family Peramelidae. Nev-
such as at The Pines Nature Conservation Re- ertheless, ithasdeclinedsteadilyintheGreater
serve atFrankstonNorth, and alongthe shores Melbourneregionasurbanisationexpandsinto
ofWestern Port (Coates et al. 2008). It is the its habitat in the forested ranges and along the
subjectofaconcertedcommunityconservation coast. Populationspersi.stin the foothillsotthe
campaign led by the Western Port Biosphere EasternHighlandsandpatchilyinthesouthern
Foundation, which has adopted the species as Mornington Peninsula, where it appears to be
an icon for its work in encouraging a sustain- dependentupongrass/sedgeswalesadjacentto
able society in the Western Port region. Their dense shrub cover (M Legge pers. comm.). It
coordinated predator control and habitat con- maynot persist in longunburntpatches where
nectivity enhancement are now achieving en- Coastal Tea-treeLeptospermum laevigatum be-
couraging results (T Coates pers. comm.). The comesdominant,reducingthefloristicdiversity
mostsecurepopulations in GreaterMelbourne ofthe groundlayervegetation. Where housing
areinheathyforestinBunyipStatePark,inthe encroaches these habitat patches, the applica-
Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, and on tion of suitable ecological burning regimes is
Quail Island offshore from Warneet. The Bo- extremely difficult, threatening the continuing
tanic Gardens site is one ofvery few places in presence of the species. A small and isolated
Victoria where wild bandicoots can be readily populationalso exists in coastal shrublandand
viewedindaylight(Fig. 2). grassland at North Head, Sydney (Hughes and
Banks 2010), sharing some ecological and de-
Fig. 2. Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Photo Peter
Menkhorst.
Voll28 (5) 2011 241
Contributions
mographic similarities with the Mornington WaterRatHydromyschrysogaster
Peninsulapopulation. The native Water Rat, or Rakali, is widespread
Leadbeater’s Possum Gymnobelideus leadbea- in wetlands across the Greater Melbourne re-
gion and also along sheltered shorelines of
TPtehoreissactuomYreeilslrtiahnneggbemooonfttahneeenasdhanfgoreersetdsoLfeathdebeVaitcetro-s bProretakwPhaitlelirp.atAthepoppouplualtaironStbKaisleddaaprieoruntodurtihset
m precinctprovidesanopportunityforthepublic
rian Central Highlands, above 600 altitude,
only 70-80 km east ofthe Melbourne Central to observe thislittle-known species. TheWater
Business District. An isolated, lowland popu- Rats have dens amongst the boulders forming
the breakwater, and forage between there and
lation of Leadbeater’s Possum was discovered
the shore, and also make use ofnearby canals
in 1986 in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation
Reserve in very different habitat—a narrow bringing stormwater runoff to Port Phillip.
bandofremnantlowlandEucalyptuscamphora They can be observed foraging in shallow wa-
teroralongtheshore,particularlyarounddusk
hs2a0w0sa5m;spi-Hnfcaoerrlbeeesyteann(idSnmtLaiellnless2e0ly0179s9)t4.u)I.dtieiTsdhni(soHwaproclpleueylaaretttihaoalnt. awtrhhtoiesfnieciitanhletwhteeitdRleoayniasdlsloBiwon.taiWnnaintceerrGasRruabdtuesrnbsasl,asonidonccFlciuutdzrirnoigny
tfhreomYeltlhionsgeboinpotphuelatmioonntaisngeenfeotriecsatlsly(dHiasntisnecnt mGaerndtenPsl.anAt,psoopuutlha-teiaosnt aotftWheerrWiebsetee,rnmaTryeabte-
andTaylor2008). Itislikelythe soleremaining
remnantofapopulation thatformerlyinhabit- primarilylocatedalongtheWerribeeand Little
Rivers,butalso utilises the drains,lagoons and
edthecoastalplainsofWesternPort,invegeta-
other wetlands of the sewage treatment plant
tionwith strongsimilaritiestothatoccupiedat itself(WayandConole2002).
Yellingbo,butlongsincedrainedandconverted
to farmland (Menkhorstand Lumsden 1995). Burrunan Dolphin Tursiopsaustralis
Port Phillip supports a resident population of
Grey-headedFlying-foxPteropuspoliocephalus
Nowoneofthemostabundantnativemamma- 80-100 bottlenose dolphins that havebeen the
subject of considerable study in recent dec-
lian species in Greater Melbourne, the coloni-
ades by the Dolphin Research Institute and by
sationofMelbournebythisspeciesisdescribed geneticists based at Monash University. These
under ‘Species that have increased’. The flying-
studies have focused on behaviour, distribu-
fox camp at Bellbird Picnic Area, Yarra Bend
tion and population processes (Scarpaci et al.
Park, is surely the greatestwildlife spectacle in
2003), the impact of‘swim with the dolphins’
theGreaterMelbourneregionwithmanythou-
sandsofindividuals,andtheirextensivebehav- tourism (Scarpacietal. 2010),andonthetaxo-
nomic identity of the dolphins. Importantly,
iouralrepertoire,easilyobservedfromriverside
the Port Phillip bottlenose dolphins belong
walkingtracks (backcover).
to a newly described species that also occurs
SmokyMousePseudomysfumeus in sub-populations in a few shallow embay-
Surveys usingremotelytriggered camerashave ments across southern Australia, including the
detected the endangered Smoky Mouse with Gippsland Lakes (Charlton-Robb et al. 2011).
encouraging regularity in the forested reaches Based on population size alone. Port Phillip is
ofthe Upper Yarra Shire in recent years (DSE a stronghold for this species and the Victorian
unpublished data; Nelson etal. 2009). Theper- population meets the lUCN criteria for Criti-
sistence ofthe species in the catchment ofthe callyEndangered(DSE2007).
Upper Yarra Dam was uncertain after almost Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus
no recordsbetween 1989and2000 (Menkhorst
delphis
and Broome 2006), but the recent records sug- Common dolphins Delphinus spp are often
gestthattheUpperYarraforestsshouldbecon-
thought of as wide-ranging, oceanic species
sidered part ofthe Central Highlands strong- —
thatcanoccurinverylargeherds sometimes
holdofthisendangeredspecies (Fig. 3). many thousands. Until recently the Short-
242 TlieVictorianNaturalist