The abundance of kangaroos in suboptimal habitats: wheat, intensive pastoral, and mallee

Short, J. and Grigg, G.C. (1982) The abundance of kangaroos in suboptimal habitats: wheat, intensive pastoral, and mallee. Australian Wildlife Research, 9 (2). pp. 221-227.

Abstract

Densities of red kangaroos Macropus rufus and grey kangaroos M. fuliginosus and M. giganteus in western Victoria and SE South Australia were assessed by aerial survey. Of the total area, 85% had a density of less than one kangaroo per square kilometre, and 32% had a density of less than 0.01 km-2, values considerably lower than those reported for pastoral areas in New South Wales and South Australia. Low densities in settled areas are attributed to intensive agricultural practices, small landholdings and lack of tree cover. Low densities in mallee may be due to the lack of palatable grasses and the absence of permanent watering points.