Discarded mine pipes become shelters for threatened northern quolls in Australia

What appears to be industrial waste could provide a small refuge for one of Australia’s most threatened marsupials. Researchers have begun converting discarded plastic piping into artificial dens at former mining sites in north-western Australia to offer northern quolls hidden shelters from harsh temperatures and humidity. According to a research study titled, 'Designing artificial dens for the Northern Quoll from readily available materials in the post-mining landscape,' the experimental approach could offer a simple, inexpensive tool for habitat restoration following mining, as well as a new use for material that might otherwise be left behind.A marsupial under threat from multiple perilsFor the uninitiated, Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) are small carnivorous marsupials closely related to species like the Tasmanian devil. They face a variety of threats, with their numbers plummeting across northern Australia.