Ok, #BirdoftheYear has been fun and all, but who wants an Australian *mammal* of the year competition? Did you know? *Australia has an estimated 404 mammal species (marine 57, terrestrial 347) * At least 34 mammal species are now extinct The Australian Mammal Society Ecological Society of Australia Guardian Australia

Today is #ReptileAwarenessDay! Here are some shots of the always smiling western swamp turtle (my study species!).

Today I had the pleasure of appearing on The Drum to talk about de-extinction of the thylacine - a scientific super-quest. My view is we need to focus on preserving species that are at risk today. We are losing biodiversity at unprecedented rates.

Numbers are looking up for our Numbats! 😍 Our researchers have used camera traps in the Upper Warren area to track the Numbat population by identifying them by their unique striping 🧑‍💻🧡 #UWA

Happy #WorldTurtleDay, ft Pseudemydura umbrina🐢! Did you know: western swamp turtles are the only known species of turtle in the world to dig their nest with their front legs? All the rest dig the nest with their hind legs.

Exciting news! mtDNA data shows at least 59 species within the #Antarctica #nudibranch mollusc Doris ‘kerguelenensis’ species complex. And there are more species yet to be found! publish.csiro.au/is/Fulltext/IS… Western Australian Museum School of Biological Sciences, UWA Nerida Wilson Baker Lab UWA

You had one job #HoneyPossumLyf

Does exclusion fencing affect nest predation in the Critically Endangered western swamp turtle? Come along on Thursday to hear from Nick Rodriguez as he discusses his work with western swamp turtles! #SBSSeminars2022

Behold, for #NationalThreatenedSpeciesDay #TSBakeOff @TSCommissioner, the humble Southern Brown Bandicoot! The eastern subspecies (Isoodon obesulus obesulus) are endangered, and the western subspecies, the quenda (I.o. fusciventer), are a Priority 4 in WA (rare/near threatened).

Well done ourANU 👏 Despite difficult financial situations they are prioritising raising the PhD stipend by ~18% to $34k/yr. University of Tasmania and other uni’s please match this much needed initiative. The planned 3.5% increase for 2023 RTP is a pay cut and puts unnecessary stress on PhDs

Those who saw my presentation at the The Australian Mammal Society #AMSPerth22 conference on Wednesday may remember my slide about requiring more brushtail possum specimens from the Geraldton, Pilbara and Kimberly regions. See below for more info. Thanks Natalie Grassi for the poster design!

Dibbler homecoming: rare marsupial released on island haven. Twenty-eight dibblers have been released onto Dirk Hartog Island, WA. The tiny marsupial – one of Australia’s rarest – once thrived on the island, until feral animals wiped them out. bit.ly/3COo6WO

As my supervisor @minimbus said: it's not every day the New York Times visits your field site. Definitely a highlight of my PhD so far! Have a read about some of the conservation efforts underway for the western swamp turtle 🐢:

📝Protecting genetic diversity matters for conservation! Check out our new paper on the population genomics of Australia's greatest rodent - the black-footed tree-rat 🐀🇦🇺: nature.com/articles/s4143…

OA Population genomics and conservation management of the threatened black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) in northern Australia Brenton von Takach Sam Banks Hugh Davies Kate Rick Brett Murphy @CaraPenton Holly Sargent go.nature.com/438I1fb

Seems like a good day for bandicoots! Wearing my best #easternbarredbandicoot earrings on the last morning of #ESAus23, our #longnosedbandicoot article is out at Cosmos - The Interchain ⚛️ for #ausmammaloftheyear, and recently saw a great #goldenbandicoot talk by Kate Rick ! #ecologicalfashion

Larrakia traditional owners pause land clearing at Lee Point on cultural grounds abc.net.au/news/2023-07-0…

Breaking news 📣 After an extended absence from Australia’s arid interior, the Golden Bandicoot ('Pakuru') has officially returned to the Red Centre. 🙌 via ABC News abc.net.au/news/2023-08-1…

Zoom zoom zoom zoom! 💨 It's not just dogs that get the zoomies, wombats do too! Happy #WombatWednesday from Boo at Caversham Wildlife Park who loves a good zoom. 📹 | cavershamwildlifepark on Instagram 🔉 | rufusisagoodboy on TikTok

“I want to see a feral cat-free Australia...We are declaring war on feral cats". Tanya Plibersek @WAFeralCat23 smh.com.au/politics/feder…