Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials
Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials

Author: Andrew Baker

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2018-08-01

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 1486305164

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Most living carnivorous marsupials lead a secretive and solitary existence. From tiny insect eaters to the formidable Tasmanian Devil, Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials offers rare insight into the history and habits of these creatures – from their discovery by intrepid explorers and scientists to their unique life cycles and incredible ways of hunting prey. Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials provides a guide to the world’s 136 living species of carnivorous marsupials and is packed with never-before-seen photos. Biogeography, relationships and conservation are also covered in detail. Readers are taken on a journey through remote Australia, the Americas and dark, mysterious New Guinea – some of the last truly wild places on Earth. The book describes frenzied mating sessions, minuscule mammals that catch prey far larger than themselves, and extinct predators including marsupial lions, wolves and even sabre-toothed kangaroos.

Carnivores of Australia
Carnivores of Australia

Author: Alistair Glen

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2014-11-05

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0643103171

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The Australian continent provides a unique perspective on the evolution and ecology of carnivorous animals. In earlier ages, Australia provided the arena for a spectacular radiation of marsupial and reptilian predators. The causes of their extinctions are still the subject of debate. Since European settlement, Australia has seen the extinction of one large marsupial predator (the thylacine), another (the Tasmanian devil) is in danger of imminent extinction, and still others have suffered dramatic declines. By contrast, two recently-introduced predators, the fox and cat, have been spectacularly successful, with devastating impacts on the Australian fauna. Carnivores of Australia: Past, Present and Future explores Australia's unique predator communities from pre-historic, historic and current perspectives. It covers mammalian, reptilian and avian carnivores, both native and introduced to Australia. It also examines the debate surrounding how best to manage predators to protect livestock and native biodiversity. Readers will benefit from the most up-to-date synthesis by leading researchers and managers in the field of carnivore biology. By emphasising Australian carnivores as exemplars of flesh-eaters in other parts of the world, this book will be an important reference for researchers, wildlife managers and students worldwide.

Predators with Pouches
Predators with Pouches

Author: Menna Jones

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2003-04-30

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 0643099484

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Predators with Pouches provides a unique synthesis of current knowledge of the world’s carnivorous marsupials—from Patagonia to New Guinea and North America to Tasmania. Written by 63 experts in each field, the book covers a comprehensive range of disciplines including evolution and systematics, reproductive biology, physiology, ecology, behaviour and conservation. Predators with Pouches reveals the relationships between the American didelphids and the Australian dasyurids, and explores the role of the marsupial fauna in the mammal community. It introduces the geologically oldest marsupials, from the Americas, and examines the fall from former diversity of the larger marsupial carnivores and their convergent evolution with placental forms. The book covers all aspects of carnivorous marsupials, including interesting features of life history, their unique reproduction, the physiological basis for early senescence in semelparous dasyurids, sex ratio variation and juvenile dispersal. It looks at gradients in nutrition—from omnivory to insectivory to carnivory—as well as distributional ecology, social structure and conservation dilemmas.

Haematology of Australian Mammals
Haematology of Australian Mammals

Author: Phillip Clark

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2004-05-17

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0643099069

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Haematology of Australian Mammals is a valuable guide to collecting and analysing the blood of Australian mammals for haematological studies and diagnosis and monitoring of disease. It outlines general principles for selecting sites for blood collection and for handling and analysing samples to achieve quality results. Chapters then describe the morphology and function of haematological cells, with reference to the known characteristics of Australian mammals in health and the changes that may be encountered in response to common diseases. Haemoparasites that have been encountered in Australian mammals are discussed next, along with comments on their pathogenicity. Lastly, haematological values from previously published studies are compiled into species-specific tables, providing a convenient reference to compare to the results of clinical cases. Written descriptions and colour photomicrographs of haematological cells from more than 100 species aid the identification of cells and the detection of abnormalities. Information is provided throughout for representative species from all the major groups of native Australian mammals including monotremes, polyprotodont marsupials, diprotodont marsupials, rats and mice, bats and marine mammals.

Australian Bird Names
Australian Bird Names

Author: Ian Fraser

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2019-09-02

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1486311644

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This second edition of Australian Bird Names is a completely updated checklist of Australian birds and the meanings behind their common and scientific names, which may be useful, useless or downright misleading! For each species, the authors examine the many-and-varied common names and full scientific name, with derivation, translation and a guide to pronunciation. Stories behind the name are included, as well as relevant aspects of biology, conservation and history. Original descriptions, translated by the authors, have been sourced for many species. As well as being a book about names, this is a book about the history of the ever-developing understanding of birds, about the people who contributed to this understanding and, most of all, about the birds themselves. This second edition has been revised to follow current taxonomy and understanding of the relationships between families, genera and species. It contains new taxa, updated text and new vagrants and will be interesting reading for anyone with a love of birds, words or the history of Australian biology and bird-watching.

Saving the Tasmanian Devil
Saving the Tasmanian Devil

Author: Carolyn Hogg

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 1486307191

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The Tasmanian devil is threatened by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a transmissible form of cancer that has reduced the population by over 80%. Persecution, extreme climate events, vehicle collision and habitat destruction also put pressure on this endangered species. The recovery effort to save the Tasmanian devil commenced over 15 years ago as a collaborative initiative between the Tasmanian government, the Australian government, the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, and many research institutions. Saving the Tasmanian Devil documents the journey taken by partner organisations in discovering what DFTD is, the effect it has on wild devil populations, and the outcomes achieved through research and management actions. Chapters describe all aspects of devil conservation, including the captive devil populations, applied pathology, immunology and genetic research findings, adaptive management, and the importance of advocacy and partnerships. This book will provide management practitioners and conservation scientists with insight into the complexities of undertaking a program of this scale, and will also be of value to researchers, students and others interested in conservation.

Cats in Australia
Cats in Australia

Author: Chris Dickman

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2019-06-01

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1486308457

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Across the world, cats are loved as pets or are kept or tolerated for their role in controlling some animal pests. But cats, both pets and feral, also kill many native animals and this toll can be enormous. Cats have been remarkably successful in Australia, spreading pervasively across the continent and many islands, occurring in all environments, and proving to be adept and adaptable hunters. A large proportion of Australia’s distinctive fauna is threatened and recent research highlights the significant role that cats play in the decline and extinction of native species. Cats in Australia brings this research together, documenting the extent to which cats have subverted, and are continuing to subvert, Australia’s biodiversity. But the book does much more than spotlight the impacts of cats on Australian nature. It describes the origins of cats and their global spread, their long-standing and varying relationship with people, their global impacts and their ecology. It also seeks to describe the challenge of managing cats, and the options available to constrain their impacts.

The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia
The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia

Author: Albert Orr

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2021-03-01

Total Pages: 626

ISBN-13: 1486313760

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Dragonflies and damselflies are conspicuous insects: many are large and brightly coloured. They are also valuable indicators of environmental wellbeing. A detailed knowledge of the dragonfly fauna is therefore an important basis for decisions about environmental protection and management. This comprehensive guide to the Australian dragonfly fauna covers eight families of dragonflies and 10 families of damselflies, comprising the 113 genera and 333 species found in Australia. It has been updated with newly identified species and revised family names to reflect new world consensus systematics. Stunning full-colour images and distribution maps are accompanied by identification keys for adults as well as larvae, which are often used as bait for freshwater fish. This second edition of The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia also includes illustrations by Albert Orr, one of the most renowned dragonfly illustrators. The extraordinary diversity of dragonflies will interest entomologists and amateur naturalists alike.

Wildlife Research in Australia
Wildlife Research in Australia

Author: Jordan O. Hampton

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2022-07

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 1486313450

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Wildlife Research in Australia: Practical and Applied Methods is a guide to conducting wildlife research in Australia. It provides advice on working through applications to animal ethics committees, presents general operating procedures for a range of wildlife research methods, and details animal welfare considerations for all Australian taxa. Compiled by over 200 researchers with extensive experience in field-based wildlife research, teaching and animal ethics administration, this comprehensive book supports best practice research methods and helps readers navigate the institutional animal care approval process. Wildlife Research in Australia will help foster a national approach to wildlife research methods, and is an invaluable tool for researchers, teachers, students, animal ethics committee members and organisations participating in wildlife research and other activities with wildlife.

The Secret Life of Wombats
The Secret Life of Wombats

Author: James Woodford

Publisher: Text Publishing

Published: 2012-01-30

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1921834900

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Whitley Award winner for Best Popular Zoology Book. With his usual brilliance James Woodford explores the wombat's bizarre evolutionary history and perilous future. This is popular science writing at its best: an irresistible subject in the hands of an irrepressible author.