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Mammals comprise the bulk of the diet of free-ranging domestic cats Felis catus (defined as including outdoor pet cats, strays, and feral cats) in most parts of their global range. In Australia, predation by introduced feral cats has been implicated in the extinction of many mammal species, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Here, we collate a wide range of records of predation by cats (including feral and pet cats) on Australian mammals and model traits of extant, terrestrial, native mammal species associated with the relative likelihood of cat predation. We explicitly seek to overcome biases in such a continental-scale compilation by excluding possible carrion records for larger species and accounting for differences in the distribution and abundance of potential prey species, as well as study effort, throughout each species’ range. For non-volant species, the relative likelihood of predation by cats was greatest for species in an intermediate weight range (peaking at ca. 400 g), in lower rainfall areas and not dwelling in rocky habitats. Previous studies have shown the greatest rates of decline and extinction in Australian mammals to be associated with these traits. As such, we provide the first continental-scale link between mammal decline and cat predation through quantitative analysis. Our compilation of cat predation records for most extant, terrestrial, native mammal species (151 species, or 52% of the Australian species’ complement) is substantially greater than previously reported (88 species) and includes 50 species listed as threatened by the IUCN or under Australian legislation (57% of Australia's 87 threatened terrestrial mammal species). We identify the Australian mammal species most likely to be threatened by predation by cats (mulgaras Dasycercus spp., kowari Dasyuroides byrnei, many smaller dasyurids and medium-sized to large rodents, among others) and hence most likely to benefit from enhanced mitigation of cat impacts, such as translocations to predator-free islands, the establishment of predator-proof fenced exclosures, and broad-scale cat poison baiting.

Conserving large carnivores is controversial because they can threaten wildlife, human safety, and livestock production. Since large carnivores often have large ranges, effective management requires knowledge of how their ecology and functional roles vary biogeographically. We examine continental‐scale patterns in the diet of the dingo – Australia's largest terrestrial mammalian predator. We describe and quantify how dingo dietary composition and diversity vary with environmental productivity and across five bioclimatic zones: arid, semi‐arid, tropical, sub‐tropical, and temperate. Based on 73 published and unpublished data sets from throughout the continent, we used multivariate linear modelling to assess regional trends in the occurrence of nine food groups (arthropods, birds, reptiles, European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, medium‐sized [25–125 kg] and large [169–825 kg] exotic ungulates [including livestock], and other small [

Roads are detrimental to wildlife populations that require contiguous networks of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Many species of freshwater turtles are sensitive to habitat fragmentation caused by roads, and are susceptible to road mortality during overland migrations. The common long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) is an Australian freshwater turtle that frequently moves between wetlands, and so populations may incur negative impacts from road effects. Here, we assessed the relationship between C. longicollis and road density and landscape variables within populations inhabiting 20 wetlands distributed throughout greater Melbourne, Australia. The size frequency distribution of C. longicollis at sites surrounded by high road densities was skewed towards larger individuals, but there was no difference in the frequency of juveniles between high and low road density sites. Regression modelling revealed a clear positive relationship between road density and carapace length (CL) of C. longicollis; the mean CL at a site with the highest road density was predicted to be 23% greater than mean CL at a site surrounded by no roads. Female CL was also positively related to road density. There was a clear positive relationship between wetland age and CL, although this relationship was not as strong. While there was no relationship evident between road density and the proportion of female C. longicollis at a site, more females were captured at smaller ephemeral sites surrounded by a high proportion of green open space and located near drainage lines. We did not find evidence of sex-related differences in road effects. These results suggest that roads may be affecting C. longicollis in the study area, but the direct cause of any effects is difficult to identify.