The ability to signal individual identity using vocal signals and distinguish between conspecifics based on vocal cues is important in several mammal species. Furthermore, it can be important for receivers to differentiate between callers in reproductive contexts. In this study, we used acoustic analyses to determine whether male koala bellows are individually distinctive and to investigate the...

Determining the information content of animal vocalisations can give valuable insights into the potential functions of vocal signals. The source-filter theory of vocal production allows researchers to examine the information content of mammal vocalisations by linking variation in acoustic features with variation in relevant physical characteristics of the caller. Here I used a source-filter the...

Determining the information content of vocal signals and understanding morphological modifications of vocal anatomy are key steps towards revealing the selection pressures acting on a given species' vocal communication system. Here, we used a combination of acoustic and anatomical data to investigate whether male koala bellows provide reliable information on the caller's body size, and to confi...

A Central Queensland University (CQU) partnership with the Government National Park management agency has developed a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) habitat managers’ toolkit for vegetation health assessment. Private and public landholders use field-based to assess suitability or monitor conservation outcomes koala—an iconic Australian arboreal herbivorous marsupial. The was upgraded recently i...

The living koala population in North America is predominantly descended from koalas imported a single Australian facility 1976 and 1981, with several smaller imports other facilities between 1985 2013. Koala retrovirus subtype B (KoRV-B) entered the American via 2005, 2008, 2005 2008 KoRV-B positive lineages are deceased, but 2013 lineage has seven surviving koalas, including one female of bree...

The establishment of the Koala Genome Consortium in 2013 culminated publication first fully assembled koala genome. An international initiative involving 29 institutes across globe, has led to a much greater understanding biology including knowledge on gene families putatively associated with detoxification eucalypt leaves and species’ ability taste smell plant secondary metabolites. Similarly,...

In 2013, the first Koala Retrovirus Workshop was held in San Diego, bringing together biology and veterinary specialists to assess discuss state of knowledge on koala retrovirus (KoRV) form professional bridges networks. Tremendous progress has been made years following Diego meeting, large part due ongoing international collaborations that were fostered study KoRV. This volume presents peer-re...

Investigation of the immune response of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is needed urgently, but has been limited by scarcity of species-specific reagents and methods for this unique and divergent marsupial. Infectious disease is an important threat to wild populations of koalas; the most widespread and important of these is Chlamydial disease, caused by Chlamydia pecorum and Chlamydia pneumo...