Activity patterns of the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) (Marsupialia : Vombatidae) in the South Australian Murraylands

The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is a large, semifossorial, herbivorous marsupial, adapted to a harsh and unpredictable environment in semi-arid Australia. Limited information is available on the biology and general behaviour of the species. The present study examines monthly variability in 'nocturnal' activity patterns. Data-loggers were used to investigate the effect of climate on 57 months of activity patterns of 18 wombats between 1999 and 2004. The average period of activity across the study was 6.27±0.24h in duration across the study. Multiple excursions above ground were more common in September and significantly correlated with both available water and median temperature. Periods of activity were strongly correlated with temperature across the entire study