Mammals in the Gardens

The most common mammals in the Australian National Botanic Gardens are the several species of small
insectivorous tree-dwelling bats which may be seen flying at dusk. The
smallest of these, the Little Brown Bat, weighs only 3-4 grams and is
smaller than some insects; it is, in fact, one of the tiniest bats in the
world. By comparison, the Grey-headed Flying-fox is a veritable giant,
having a wingspan exceeding a metre and body weight of nearly a kilogram.
It occasionally visits the Gardens in summer, in search of the flowers and
fruit upon which it feeds.

Claw marks on some of the smooth-barked trees usually indicate the presence
of one of the possums, which sleep by day in tree hollows. The
Brush-tailed Possum and the Sugar Glider are fairly common. Sugar Gliders
feed extensively on insects and the flowers of trees and shrubs, whereas
Brush-tails, and the less common Ring-tailed Possums, tend to rely more on
leaves for food.

Two native ground-dwelling mammals occur in the Gardens: the Yellow-footed
Marsupial Mouse and the egg-laying Echidna occasionally wander in
from adjacent woodland on Black Mountain. Both species are insectivorous

Feral cats and European rabbits and hares are unfortunately fairly common
in the Gardens, and black rats and house mice are also present, but not in large numbers. Foxes are also seen occasionally.

Mammals commonly seen in the Gardens

Bats

Grey-headed Flying-fox - Pteropus poliocephalus
White-striped Freetail-bat - Nyctinomus australis
Lesser Long-eared Bat - Nyctophilus geoffroyi
Gould's Long-eared Bat - Nyctophilus gouldii
Gould's Wattled Bat - Chalinolobus gouldii
Chocolate Wattled Bat - Chalinolobus morio
Little Forest Bat - Vespadelus vulturnus
Southern Forest Bat - Vespadelus regulus

Marsupials

Sugar Glider - Petaurus breviceps
Common Brushtail Possum - Trichosurus vulpecula
Common Ringtail Possum - Pseudocheirus peregrlnus
Yellow-footed Marsupial Mouse - Antechinus flavipes

Monotreme

Echidna - Tachyglossus aculeatus

Introduced mammals

Cat - Felis catus
Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus
Brown Hare - Lepus capensis
Black Rat - Rattus rattus
House Mouse - Mus musculus
European Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes