The vocalizations are the focus of the research study. The researchers from the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology want to understand more about some of the species' breeding habits. The marsupials on St. Bees Island have been fitted with GPS collars which track their every move.

 

We hope to be able to decipher this sort of koala code in their vocalizations and the potential for that to be deployed to other areas of koala conservation.

 

Remote listening stations have been strategically placed around the island, and solar-powered mobile phones are programmed to record the bellows of vocalizations.

 

Well, we hope to work with the koala researchers to get a better understanding of the koalas and their ecology. More generally, what we're trying to do is to understand the heartbeat of the environment. We want to be able to measure environmental health using the advanced acoustic technologies.

 

Thanks to these recordings, scientists could be a step closer to cracking the koala code, and the research may be used to help with breeding programs in the future.