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dc.contributor.authorCooper, Christine
dc.contributor.authorWithers, P.
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-30T13:29:48Z
dc.date.available2017-01-30T13:29:48Z
dc.date.created2010-10-15T07:17:40Z
dc.date.issued2004
dc.identifier.citationCooper, C.E. and Withers, P.C. 2004. Influence of season and weather on activity patterns of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) in captivity. Australian Journal of Zoology. 52 (5): pp. 475-485.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32230
dc.identifier.doi10.1071/ZO04038
dc.description.abstract

The influence of season and weather on activity was examined for captive numbats, to separate the influence of weather from predation pressure and food availability, since these confound the interpretation of activity data for wild numbats. Unlike other Australian marsupials, numbats are exclusively diurnal, being active for an average of 21.2 % of the 24 h day. However, activity duration varied seasonally, with numbats being active for longer periods in summer (39-65 % of the available daylight) than winter (17-59 %). Captive numbats were active for shorter periods than wild numbats in winter (presumably as captive numbats don’t have to forage for food) but did not cease activity in the middle of the day in summer (suggesting that summer midday inactivity of wild numbats is a response to food availability rather than a thermoregulatory response). Captive numbats were more active in summer than in winter, which may reflect their summer breeding season. Environmental conditions significantly affected daily activity, with low levels on days of low light intensity and high relative humidity. The majority of numbat activity occurred at ambient temperatures below thermoneutrality (< 30 ºC). The associated costs of thermoregulation for active numbats were calculated, from activity time, to be higher in winter (0.586 ml O2 g-1 h-1) than in summer (0.274 ml O2 g-1 h-1).

dc.titleInfluence of season and weather on activity patterns of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) in captivity
dc.typeJournal Article
curtin.note

Email: c.cooper@curtin.edu.au

curtin.note

Copyright © 2011 CSIRO

curtin.accessStatusOpen access
curtin.facultySchool of Agriculture and Environment
curtin.facultyFaculty of Science and Engineering
curtin.facultyDepartment of Environmental Biology


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