Right now, a brand-new generation of Bogong Moths are beginning the long journey towards Australia’s alpine regions; one of the most epic animal migrations on our planet. Meanwhile, Mountain Pygmy-possums will also be waking up from their hibernation hungry for the moths; a key springtime food source.
This spring, Zoos Victoria’s Moth Tracker citizen science initiative is encouraging Australians to log their Bogong Moth sightings on the Moth Tracker website to help both these Endangered moths and the Critically Endangered Mountain Pygmy-possum. Through Moth Tracker, we gather important data on the dates, locations and numbers of Bogong Moths travelling during the annual migration periods.
In previous years, partners sharing Moth Tracker with their audiences have greatly helped Moth Tracker to collect Bogong Moth sightings far and wide. We extend a big thank you to everyone who shared Moth Tracker last year and contributed to the conservation of the species!
Last year, 58% of sightings submitted on Moth Tracker were confirmed to be Bogong Moths. Our audience is getting better at identifying these marvelous little moths, though there continues to be a misconception that they are larger than they are!
Picture: A Bogong Moth is similar in size to a bottle cap. Image: Nizar, via Moth Tracker