Feral cat (Felis catus) predation confirmed for Rothschild's rock-wallaby (Petrogale rothschildi) in the Pilbara

Hannah Anderson, Brooke Richards, William Ross, Russell Palmer

    Research output: Contribution to journalLetterpeer-review

    Abstract

    Rothschild's rock-wallaby (Petrogale rothschildi) is endemic to the Pilbara and Ashburton regions of Western Australia. This large species of rock-wallaby is currently not recognised as threatened but is poorly known. Feral cats are a serious threat to many mainland Australian mammals, including some species of rock-wallaby, however their impact on P. rothschildi is largely unknown. Here we provide the first account of feral cat predation on Rothschild's rock-wallaby, which was confirmed via genetic analysis. Common rock rats were abundant at the time and are the primary prey for cats, suggesting this was an incidental predation event by this highly opportunistic predator.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)169–172
    Number of pages4
    JournalAustralian Mammalogy
    Volume44
    Issue number1
    Early online dateJun 2021
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Feral cat (Felis catus) predation confirmed for Rothschild's rock-wallaby (Petrogale rothschildi) in the Pilbara'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this