Vulnerable Australian marsupials such as bandicoots and bettongs often fail to recognise danger when they encounter invasive predators 鈥� but, with training, they may learn to escape more quickly.
These native mammals aren鈥檛 adapted to the presence of introduced predators like foxes or cats, so they may lack the instinct to flee. Species like the golden bandicoot, the banded hare-wallaby and others have only survived on offshore islands free from cats and foxes. Others, such as brush-tailed bettongs and quokkas, are found on the mainland, but often only thanks to some form of cat and fox control.
at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, and her colleagues wanted to see if it were possible to teach small marsupials to recognise a threat.
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They captured 178 animals from seven species. Three were bandicoots that typically move on four legs: the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), the Western barred bandicoot (Perameles bougainville) and the quenda (Isoodon fusciventer). Four were macropods that typically hop along on their back two legs like kangaroos: the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur), the brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata), the banded hare-wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus) and the quokka (Setonix brachyurus).
They brought these animals in turn to a 10-metre, partially enclosed area that was open on one side, lit with infrared lights and covered by cameras. There, they slowly released them from the capture bag, then Kay thumped the ground behind the animal with a pole attached to a tennis ball stuffed with bells.
The species had different responses to fleeing. The brush-tailed bettongs were the fastest, while golden bandicoots were the slowest. Also, the macropods typically relied on speed, taking off in a straight line, whereas the bandicoots would make more use of sharp turns while escaping.
Critically, when the researchers recaptured the same individuals on the following night and repeated the experiment, they found they became better at escaping. The animals waited less time in the bag and took off straight down the runway immediately, with the bandicoots zigzagging less than on their first trials.
While this is just an initial experiment, Tay says it provides some hope. 鈥淲e could potentially train the animals to be more effective [at escaping introduced predators],鈥� she says.
at Macquarie University in Sydney trains native predators to avoid eating cane toads, a poisonous introduced species. She says escape behaviours are 鈥渆xcellent options to consider鈥� to help native species adapt to invasive ones.
鈥淎n animal鈥檚 behaviour is its first line of defence and thus can be modified,鈥� she says. 鈥淭raining native fauna to become better at facing novel threats seems simple, but it is effective.鈥�
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