Four trapping grids have been established in Mountain Ash forest near Mt Donna Buang in Yarra Ranges National Park in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Each grid measures 70 m by 70 m. An Elliott trap is placed every 10m. To date, we have undertaken four periods of trapping, each of which entails 196 trap-nights.
Microchips are about the same size as a grain of rice.
Each animal that is trapped has a microchip inserted under the skin at the back of its neck. Each chip has a unique number, so we are able to identify Individual animals by scanning the implanted microchip. Scanning an animal to determine the microchip number A vegetation structure survey and a spatial analysis of logs has been conducted in each grid. We intend to examine correlations between these and the distribution of each animal. We are able to map an animal's movements, monitor growth rates, determine longevity and measure seasonal variation in population density and sex ratios.