All things Fat-tailed Dunnart + GPN Meeting

This is an online (Zoom) talk and meeting.

Dr Emily Scicluna will discuss all things Fat-tailed Dunnart. We will learn about their ecology, conservation status, skulls, behaviour, threats and what we need to do to save them. The Fat-tailed Dunnart is the last small marsupial of the grasslands – and a mighty predator. Emily is the force behind the recent listing of “Dunnies” as Vulnerable under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, and they are now included on the Threatened Species List in Victoria. Loss of their native grassland habitat, as grazing becomes replaced by cropping, has been a major factor in their decline.

Emily recently completed her PhD at La Trobe University and is now a Research Associate at The University of Melbourne, specialising in carnivorous marsupial conservation. Within her PhD project, Emily investigated a number of key aspects of Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) ecology, captive breeding, characterisation of personality, cognitive ability, skull morphology and reintroduction success. Her questions revolved around what changes occur during captivity that might influence reintroduction success later.

Register here

Emily’s talk will be followed by a Grassy Plains Network monthly meeting.

This event is being run by the Grassy Plains Network. Please register to receive full details for the event.

Feature photo by Dr Emily Scicluna