Spool-and-Line Tracking of the New Guinea Spiny Bandicoot, Echymipera kalubu (Marsupialia, Peramelidae)

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Abstract
We describe the construction of an improved spool-and-line mammal-tracking device with a range of 1,550 m that we used in a short-term tracking study of the previously unstudied New Guinea spiny bandicoot, Echymipera kalubu. We tracked 12 males a total of 18 times. Individuals tracked more than once were active in the same area on each night and often used the same pathways in the forest, but ranges were not exclusive and individuals used several different refuges within their ranges. Grid-cell analysis indicated that the nightly range size may reach 1.2 ha. For the five occasions on which an animal was followed all night, the mean nightly distance traveled was 344 m. We describe three types of nest or refuge and demonstrate that E. kalubu forages for invertebrates and fallen fruit. Weighing revealed that males are heavier than females. We discuss ways of refining the spool-and-line technique and compare its potential with radio-tracking.