Dr David Hamilton
@drdevildave.bsky.social
Conservation Equollogist | Lutruwita, Tasmania | Tasmanian devil advocate & accidental quoll scientist, posting mainly science & quoll puns
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
It's bizarre. I can think of at least 3 scientific publications that predict (i.e., model) the uncontrolled explosion of deer across Tas. None of them were referred to in the report. weirdddd
October 2, 2025 at 4:28 AM
It's bizarre. I can think of at least 3 scientific publications that predict (i.e., model) the uncontrolled explosion of deer across Tas. None of them were referred to in the report. weirdddd
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
“No anticipated” except by all of us that have been saying for ever that the #feral #deer management plan is pathetic. 🌎 #wildoz
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
'Not anticipated': New survey shows deer population boom in Tasmania
The first survey for feral deer in Tasmania in five years reveals an unanticipated increase of nearly 20,000 to the population.
www.abc.net.au
October 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
“No anticipated” except by all of us that have been saying for ever that the #feral #deer management plan is pathetic. 🌎 #wildoz
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
“Not anticipated”, if you’ve been living under a rock for the past 5 years…
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Feral deer are a huuuuge problem in Tasmania that’s only getting worse. Legislation catching up with reality would be a good start - incredibly, they’re still a partly protected species…
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Feral deer are a huuuuge problem in Tasmania that’s only getting worse. Legislation catching up with reality would be a good start - incredibly, they’re still a partly protected species…
'Not anticipated': New survey shows deer population boom in Tasmania
The first survey for feral deer in Tasmania in five years reveals an unanticipated increase of nearly 20,000 to the population.
www.abc.net.au
October 2, 2025 at 8:13 AM
“Not anticipated”, if you’ve been living under a rock for the past 5 years…
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Feral deer are a huuuuge problem in Tasmania that’s only getting worse. Legislation catching up with reality would be a good start - incredibly, they’re still a partly protected species…
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Feral deer are a huuuuge problem in Tasmania that’s only getting worse. Legislation catching up with reality would be a good start - incredibly, they’re still a partly protected species…
The City of Platypuses!!
September 29, 2025 at 8:25 AM
The City of Platypuses!!
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
The measure for how excellent a city is should be how quickly you can see something wonderful.
It took less than an hour after arriving in #Hobart for @drdevildave.bsky.social and me to see a #platypus, which is of course the most wonderful thing there is. #Tasmania #MammalWatching #WildOz
It took less than an hour after arriving in #Hobart for @drdevildave.bsky.social and me to see a #platypus, which is of course the most wonderful thing there is. #Tasmania #MammalWatching #WildOz
September 29, 2025 at 6:12 AM
The measure for how excellent a city is should be how quickly you can see something wonderful.
It took less than an hour after arriving in #Hobart for @drdevildave.bsky.social and me to see a #platypus, which is of course the most wonderful thing there is. #Tasmania #MammalWatching #WildOz
It took less than an hour after arriving in #Hobart for @drdevildave.bsky.social and me to see a #platypus, which is of course the most wonderful thing there is. #Tasmania #MammalWatching #WildOz
A dangerous(ly adorable) predator approaches…
September 12, 2025 at 7:13 AM
A dangerous(ly adorable) predator approaches…
Harry, why is your dog stealing quoll food!?
August 10, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Harry, why is your dog stealing quoll food!?
Should note that the devils can, & do, extract themselves from this situation perfectly well. There’s no denying them food…
August 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Should note that the devils can, & do, extract themselves from this situation perfectly well. There’s no denying them food…
As part of eastern quoll translocation work, we use supplementary feeding stations that are meant to exclude Tasmanian devils.
The devils disagree…
The devils disagree…
August 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM
As part of eastern quoll translocation work, we use supplementary feeding stations that are meant to exclude Tasmanian devils.
The devils disagree…
The devils disagree…
I am here for the Captain Quoll rebrand!!
August 10, 2025 at 6:40 AM
I am here for the Captain Quoll rebrand!!
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
I'm guessing this is probably very well worth the read! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
Ecology needs a causal overhaul
Ecology has yet to embrace causal inference, yet most questions in ecology are causal. Despite the common use of terms that imply causation, such as “shapes”, “drives”, or “impacts”, many studies shy...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 15, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I'm guessing this is probably very well worth the read! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
Quoll beans!!
These tiny eastern quolls are only around 5 weeks old, & just starting to get their spots
These tiny eastern quolls are only around 5 weeks old, & just starting to get their spots
August 4, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Quoll beans!!
These tiny eastern quolls are only around 5 weeks old, & just starting to get their spots
These tiny eastern quolls are only around 5 weeks old, & just starting to get their spots
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
#GardensforWildlife members, here is a survey just for you! Your garden is the missing link in a new @utas.edu.au Honours research project. Honours student Millicent Biggs is studying how backyard gardens support #Tasmanian #wildlife. Start the survey here: lnkd.in/gChGeTAa
July 28, 2025 at 4:43 AM
#GardensforWildlife members, here is a survey just for you! Your garden is the missing link in a new @utas.edu.au Honours research project. Honours student Millicent Biggs is studying how backyard gardens support #Tasmanian #wildlife. Start the survey here: lnkd.in/gChGeTAa
Please enjoy this antechinus sproinging* away
* technical term
* technical term
July 6, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Please enjoy this antechinus sproinging* away
* technical term
* technical term
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
The kultarr is officially three species!
So proud of this work and a big thanks to Australia's amazing museum network and my great supervisor team
@kennytravouillon.bsky.social
@reneecatullo.bsky.social
@planigale.bsky.social
bakerecologylab.wordpress.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
So proud of this work and a big thanks to Australia's amazing museum network and my great supervisor team
@kennytravouillon.bsky.social
@reneecatullo.bsky.social
@planigale.bsky.social
bakerecologylab.wordpress.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Cryptic Kultarr: Integrative Taxonomy Reveals Unrecognized Species of Carnivorous Marsupial (Dasyuridae: Antechinomys) in Arid Australia
Conservation is impossible if we have not described all of the species we aim to conserve. This paper reviews the taxonomy of the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) a small arid-zone specialist native to....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 27, 2025 at 7:02 AM
The kultarr is officially three species!
So proud of this work and a big thanks to Australia's amazing museum network and my great supervisor team
@kennytravouillon.bsky.social
@reneecatullo.bsky.social
@planigale.bsky.social
bakerecologylab.wordpress.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
So proud of this work and a big thanks to Australia's amazing museum network and my great supervisor team
@kennytravouillon.bsky.social
@reneecatullo.bsky.social
@planigale.bsky.social
bakerecologylab.wordpress.com
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
Echidnas! Everyone loves echidnas. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Long-beaked echidnas? Yes please! A cartoon for people who cannot bear any more news about anything dreadful | First Dog on the Moon
Let the echidna discourse begin!
www.theguardian.com
June 20, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Echidnas! Everyone loves echidnas. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
That’s a funky looking EQ - its vibe is all wrong!
June 23, 2025 at 3:40 AM
That’s a funky looking EQ - its vibe is all wrong!
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
You can date a display of Australian mammals by whether the distribution maps recognise recent extinctions. Eastern #quolls went extinct in mainland Australia in the 1960s, but they're still on this historic display at @hunterianglasgow.bsky.social Zoology Museum.
#taxidermy #extinction
#taxidermy #extinction
June 20, 2025 at 8:23 AM
You can date a display of Australian mammals by whether the distribution maps recognise recent extinctions. Eastern #quolls went extinct in mainland Australia in the 1960s, but they're still on this historic display at @hunterianglasgow.bsky.social Zoology Museum.
#taxidermy #extinction
#taxidermy #extinction
Whoops, sorry - that wasn't meant to be the take-home! The captive-bred quolls did great, we just have to refine methods in terms of which individuals are released to help them with breeding. So a focus on juveniles & adults who have bred previously in future, which is exactly what we're doing ☺️
June 18, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Whoops, sorry - that wasn't meant to be the take-home! The captive-bred quolls did great, we just have to refine methods in terms of which individuals are released to help them with breeding. So a focus on juveniles & adults who have bred previously in future, which is exactly what we're doing ☺️
Reposted by Dr David Hamilton
Busy start to #ICCB2025 - sharing @tasland.bsky.social ten year fauna camera data set - pre & post-fire at Five Rivers. Huge shout out to coauthors including @drdevildave.bsky.social & Jo Potts
June 17, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Busy start to #ICCB2025 - sharing @tasland.bsky.social ten year fauna camera data set - pre & post-fire at Five Rivers. Huge shout out to coauthors including @drdevildave.bsky.social & Jo Potts
This work was the result of a great collaboration between @tasland.bsky.social, @utas.edu.au, WWF Australia and the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program (made up in part by Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Devils@Cradle, East Coast Nature World & Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary)
June 18, 2025 at 12:29 AM
This work was the result of a great collaboration between @tasland.bsky.social, @utas.edu.au, WWF Australia and the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program (made up in part by Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Devils@Cradle, East Coast Nature World & Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary)
Another interesting side finding was the first (that we know of) genetic confirmation of multiple paternity in eastern quolls, with multiple litters found to have been fathered by more than one male quoll!
June 18, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Another interesting side finding was the first (that we know of) genetic confirmation of multiple paternity in eastern quolls, with multiple litters found to have been fathered by more than one male quoll!
Useful lessons to be learned from this for future translocations of this species, with a key one being around releasing reproductively naive adult quolls. They were able to survive well in the environment, but may not have been able to translate that to breeding success.
June 18, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Useful lessons to be learned from this for future translocations of this species, with a key one being around releasing reproductively naive adult quolls. They were able to survive well in the environment, but may not have been able to translate that to breeding success.
However, genetic analysis of the next generation found no evidence that any of them had a captive-bred parent!
While we may have missed some juveniles in our sampling, this (at the least) indicates that the captive-bred quolls had lower breeding success than their wild counterparts
While we may have missed some juveniles in our sampling, this (at the least) indicates that the captive-bred quolls had lower breeding success than their wild counterparts
June 18, 2025 at 12:29 AM
However, genetic analysis of the next generation found no evidence that any of them had a captive-bred parent!
While we may have missed some juveniles in our sampling, this (at the least) indicates that the captive-bred quolls had lower breeding success than their wild counterparts
While we may have missed some juveniles in our sampling, this (at the least) indicates that the captive-bred quolls had lower breeding success than their wild counterparts
We also wanted to examine the genetic effects of the supplementation, so sampled the next generation of quolls post-release.
This was a key part of an Honour's project by Jessica Morrison, who's the lead author on the study
This was a key part of an Honour's project by Jessica Morrison, who's the lead author on the study
June 18, 2025 at 12:29 AM
We also wanted to examine the genetic effects of the supplementation, so sampled the next generation of quolls post-release.
This was a key part of an Honour's project by Jessica Morrison, who's the lead author on the study
This was a key part of an Honour's project by Jessica Morrison, who's the lead author on the study