Endangered western ringtail possums are less active in extreme heat

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-01-27 00:01

Australia; WA

Story by Lyndal Byford, Australian Science Media Centre, Photo: (c) Nick Lambert – some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Critically endangered western ringtail possums, known as ngwayir, are less active on very hot days, and this behaviour change likely comes at a cost which could impact their ability to survive and reproduce, according to Australian research. The research team found that on days hotter than 40°C, their nightly activity declined by up to 43% in males and 31% in females compared with cooler days (27°C).

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Journal/
conference: Pacific Conservation Biology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Government of Western Australia, The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University

Funder: This research was supported by the WIRES National Grants Program.

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