Dr Kenny Travouillon

Certain species of bats can glow under UV light. Scientists don’t know why | CNN Six species of North American bats glow under ultraviolet lighting, according to a new study. Researchers don’t know why certain mammals exhibit this odd trait.

In the news!

www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/s...

Hunters or collectors? New evidence challenges claim Australia’s First Peoples sent large animals extinct Australia doesn’t have any ‘kill sites’. In fact, there’s no hard evidence people hunted the megafauna.

theconversation.com/hunters-or-c...

Sign the Petition Stop Forced Redundancies at QUT's Faculty of Science

The latest Australian University wanting to diminish science capacity and training. At least 18 academic staff in the science faculty threatened with job loss. A petition to save science at #QUT Queensland University of Technology here www.change.org/p/stop-force...

Taxonomists- ask the journal for no separate electronic SI. Include all information in one document onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

🐭 Cryptic Kultarr 🏆
@kultarrcam.bsky.social studies hidden biodiversity in carnivorous marsupials, uncovering strong genetic and morphological evidence for multiple distinct species of kultarr across Australia🧬🏜️🐀 6/11
@reneecatullo.bsky.social @kennytravouillon.bsky.social @planigale.bsky.social

A taxonomic revision of the Bettongia penicillata (Diprotodontia: Potoroidae) species complex and description of the subfossil species Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov. | Zootaxa

Meet Bettongia haoucharae, a new species of extinct bettong from the Nullarbor Plain and Great Victoria Desert.

doi.org/10.11646/zoo...

Australia has some new marsupial species – but they’re already extinct A case of mistaken identity has hampered efforts to save the woylie, one of Australia’s most endangered marsupials.

theconversation.com/australia-ha...

So that would mean they took 6,000 to colonise all of Australia as there is no trace of them in southern Australia where there is a good fossil record. Cats and foxes took less than 100 years to colonise Australia. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your estimates?

There is no evidence of dingoes in Australia prior to 4,000 years. So that first point is still not valid. Find a 10,000 year old dingo in Australia and you will convince me. Until then, it’s not supported by science.

The 8,000-10,000 years is still no sense. Genetics dating has to be calibrated with fossils otherwise it’s complete fabrication as gene do not evolve at a constant rate.

Two precious photos of long-extinct bandicoot found in museum box Hidden in the long-forgotten personal archives of a 20th-century anatomist was a pair of images depicting an extinct species of bandicoot with an unusual butterfly pattern and aggressive streak.

www.abc.net.au/news/science...

I was horrified to hear a member of the public calling a dibbler ‘a rat’ but then looking at the sign at Perth Zoo, there is nothing explaining that it’s a carnivorous marsupial. Come on Perth Zoo, you can do better than that!

Finding those photos is a great discovery. There are so few specimens of that species and so little known of its biology.

As a side note, I was also bemused to be characterised as a ‘xenophobic eco-nativist’.

Did you know that there are huge caves full of weirdy bugs and ancient life right under the Nullarbor desert? | First Dog on the Moon We simply don’t know even a fraction of what is in them

Hugely excited for our work on the Nullarbor Caves to be featured on the ever excellent First Dog on the Moon. Oh yeah...

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Australia’s cutest mammal is now Australia’s cutest three mammals Scientists have discovered that the kultarr – one of Australia’s most elusive marsupials – is actually three different species.

theconversation.com/australias-c... @kultarrcam.bsky.social @planigale.bsky.social @reneecatullo.bsky.social

A museum warehouse, with a fibreglass shark model on the left

Some historic museum display cases, with a Pere David's deer and anteater taxidermy on the left

Shelves of large taxidermy in storage, with kangaroos on the top, and a polar bear head, eagle and hippo skull below

A baboon, sloth bear and warthog taxidermy on storage shelves

What's the first thing you like to do when you arrive in a city? Me, I go to the local #museums' warehouse - they never fail to blow your mind. Big thanks to @kennytravouillon.bsky.social for showing me the Western Australian Museum's collections in Perth.

Cryptic Kultarr: Integrative Taxonomy Reveals Unrecognized Species of Carnivorous Marsupial (Dasyuridae: Antechinomys) in Arid Australia Conservation is impossible if we have not described all of the species we aim to conserve. This paper reviews the taxonomy of the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) a small arid-zone specialist native to....

The kultarr is officially three species!
So proud of this work and a big thanks to Australia's amazing museum network and my great supervisor team
@kennytravouillon.bsky.social
@reneecatullo.bsky.social
@planigale.bsky.social
bakerecologylab.wordpress.com

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Big congratulations @kultarrcam.bsky.social for winning the Bolliger award for the best student talk and @palaeontolucy.bsky.social for winning a Travel award!!!! #AusMamSoc2025

Presenting today at the Australian Mammal Society Meeting about our work on Diprotodon in the Pilbara #ausmamsoc25

Attending the Australian Mammal Society meeting in Toowoomba. Great work from my two students Lucy and Cameron presenting their work yesterday!

Who's excited to head to sunny Toowoomba this weekend!? Have a look at the conference program - looks amazing! australianmammals.org.au/files/1580_c...

A day well spent at the Queensland Museum describing the skull of one of the earliest shortfaced kangaroos and comparing it to its larger descendant!

The Documentary Podcast - Australia's extinction crisis - BBC Sounds Why are so many of Australia’s unique animals now under threat of extinction?

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

New podcast about mammal extinction in Australia which I was lucky enough to participate in amongst many other experts.

I’ll be presenting our work on species discovery on Tuesday 3:10pm in P4 at #ICCB2025

Enjoying ICCB in Brisbane this week!

Australia’s common brushtail possum has long been neglected in terms of its taxonomy. My amazing PhD student Shelby Middleton along with a stellar supervisor team has attempted to resolve this species. Check it here: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

A reminder to get your abstracts in for the Australian Mammal Society Conference in Toowoomba this year! Abstracts close May 2nd

Fieldwork is always rewarding with seeing amazing animals in the wild such as this echidna and these thorny devils.