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In late 2012, Museum Victoria conducted a biodiversity survey of the
Grampians National Park.
With the help of Parks Victoria staff we detected a large population
With the help of Parks Victoria staff we detected a large population
of the smoky mouse in a gully system in the Victoria Range.
The smoky mouse is an endangered and elusive rodent species. It was first discovered
in the Otways in the 1930s and has since been found in small populations
across Victoria and limited areas in the ACT and New South Wales.
However, neither the Otways population nor the ACT population have been detected
since the 80s and the smoky mouse is thought to be in decline.
In February 2013, a large fire burnt through 35,000 hectares of the Grampians,
including the gully system known to contain a healthy Smoky Mouse community.
As a Masters student under Dr Kevin Rowe, senior curator of mammals at Museum Victoria,
I am investigating the response of the Smoky Mouse to the recent fire in the Grampians National Park.
I will be surveying burnt and unburnt areas throughout the Victoria Range, as well as historical trapping localities
in the wider national park, to determine the current distribution of the Smoky Mouse.
I will use historical data, along with my own, to map the relationship between fire and the Smoky Mouse.
My findings will help us to understand how the Smoky Mouse may be impacted by natural and planned fires.
Working closely with Parks Victoria, I will identify priority areas for fox baiting
to help to protect the Smoky Mouse, and similar small mammal species from invasive predators.
We recently visited the burnt gully, home to the large population of Smoky Mice detected in 2012.
The devastation was evident, but plants are regenerating and many species are still living in the burnt area,
including the Grampians endemic giant isopod.
One of the most exciting points of the recent trip was the discovery of rodent activity in the burnt gully.
I’m hopeful that the Smoky Mouse will soon begin to recolonise the burnt areas, as food and shelter
To find out more information on the Smoky Mouse and Museum Victoria’s recent
survey of the Grampians National Park,
please visit the Museum Victoria website, youtube and facebook pages. �