Patricia Woolley

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Pat Woolley
Born
Patricia Woolley

1932 (age 9192)
Nationality Australian
Education
Alma mater
Known for
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Doctoral advisor Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe

Patricia Woolley (born 1932) is an Australian zoologist recognised for her work with marsupials, specifically the dasyurid family. Pseudantechinus woolleyae (Woolley's false antechinus) is named for her.

Contents

Biography

Patricia Woolley was born in 1932 in Denmark, Western Australia. Her mother was a nurse and her father a medical practitioner. She completed her Junior Certificate at Albany High School. After moving to Perth, Woolley sought to study science at Perth Modern School however at that time women were not allowed to study chemistry at the school, so she attended Perth Technical College and later Leederville Technical College instead. There she focused on mathematics and through the encouragement of a teacher went on to study mathematics at the University of Western Australia. After losing interest in mathematics, Woolley switched to zoology and graduated with a BSc in 1955. After graduation Woolley worked as a research assistant under Professor Harry Waring, researching marsupials. She did experimental work with Waring until moving with her husband to Canberra in 1960. She lectured in zoology at the Australian National University before deciding to work towards a Ph.D. After completing her Ph.D. in 1966, she worked as a lecturer and associate professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne, retiring in 2000. [1]

Scientific career

The majority of Woolley’s work focused on marsupial biology, dealing with species in both Australia and Papua New Guinea. [1] For her Ph.D. she researched the sex differentiation in dasyurids, specifically in the Antechinus genus. One of the findings of her Ph.D. research was that certain dasyurid species are semelparous, meaning they live long enough to reproduce, and then die, which is unusual among mammals. [2]

After receiving her Ph.D., Woolley began her career as an associate professor at La Trobe University, where she was the first zoologist on the faculty. While teaching at La Trobe, she continued her research on dasyurids. [1] In this research, she looked at penis morphology in many species of the Antechinus genus, and was able to reclassify several species that were incorrectly put in the Antechinus genus, based on a certain structure on the penis of the animal. [3] From 1980 to 1990 Woolley travelled in Papua New Guinea to trap dasyurids, and observe them in the wild.

Awards and recognition

Prior to Woolley’s research little was known of dasyurids. Her findings and her studies prompted significant interest from the zoology community, and in 1988, a new species of Pseudantechinus (Woolley's false antechinus or Pseudantechinus woolleyae) was named after her recognition of her contributions to dasyurid studies. [4]

In 2023 a new species of mulgara (the northern mulgara or Dasycercus woolleyae) was named in recognition of her extensive work on the genus. [5]

Other awards:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyuridae</span> Family of marsupials

The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, underground, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic. The Dasyuridae are often called the 'marsupial carnivores', as most members of the family are insectivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyurinae</span> Subfamily of mammals

The subfamily Dasyurinae includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, phascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil. The subfamily is defined largely on biochemical criteria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulgara</span> Genus of marsupials

Mulgaras are the six small rat-sized species in the genus Dasycercus. They are marsupial carnivores, closely related to the Tasmanian devil and the quolls, that live in deserts and spinifex grasslands of arid Australia. They are nocturnal, but occasionally "sunbathe" in the entrance of the burrow in which they dwell. Their kidneys are highly developed to excrete extremely concentrated urine to preserve water, as the animals rarely drink. They feed mostly on insects, but also eat reptiles and small mammals. They are seasonal breeders and breed from June to September. The pouch comprises two lateral folds of skin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibbler</span> Species of marsupial

The dibbler is an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia, and the only member of the genus Parantechinus. The dibbler is a small, nocturnal carnivore with speckled fur that is white around the eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little red kaluta</span> Species of marsupial

The little red kaluta is a small, reddish-brown, shrew-like mammal native to dry grasslands of northwest Western Australia. It is active at night, feeding on insects and other small animals. The kaluta is a marsupial and is the only member of its genus, Dasykaluta. Individuals are around 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weigh from 20 to 40 g. They live for about four years in captivity. Other common names include little red antechinus, russet antechinus and spinifex antechinus.

<i>Antechinus</i> Genus of marsupials

Antechinus is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyurini</span> Tribe of marsupials

The tribe Dasyurini includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, neophascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fat-tailed false antechinus, also called the fat-tailed pseudantechinus and red-eared antechinus, is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia. It is an inhabitant of western and central Australia. Its species name, macdonnellensis, refers to the MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs, where it was first discovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandstone false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The sandstone false antechinus, also known as the sandstone pseudantechinus, the sandstone antechinus, the sandstone dibbler, Harney's antechinus and the Northern dibbler, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial, which has a patchy distribution in Australia's Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ningbing false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The Ningbing false antechinus, also known as the Ningbing pseudantechinus, is a small species of carnivorous marsupial found in north-western Australia. It is locally common throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolley's false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

Woolley's false antechinus, also known as Woolley's pseudantechinus, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial belonging to the family Dasyuridae. It is found in the Australian state of Western Australia, primarily in the Pilbara, Ashburton and Murchison regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory Cooper's false antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

Rory Cooper's false antechinus, also known as the tan false antechinus and the tan pseudantechinus, is a recently named species of small carnivorous marsupial which inhabits rocky outcrops in Western Australia. Nothing is known of its behaviour but it is expected that this will be similar to other members of the false antechinus genus. A study published in 2017 found no support for separation as a new species of Pseudantechinus, and the name was proposed to be synonymous with the previously described Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crest-tailed mulgara</span> Species of marsupial

The crest-tailed mulgara is a small to medium-sized Australian carnivorous marsupial and a member of the family Dasyuridae which includes quolls, dunnarts, numbats, the endangered Tasmanian devil and the extinct thylacine. The crest-tailed mulgara is among a group of native predatory mammals or mesopredators endemic to arid Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush-tailed mulgara</span> Species of marsupial

The brush-tailed mulgara, previously the mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda, is a medium sized carnivorous Australian marsupial species weighing approximately 100 g (3.5 oz). The brush-tailed mulgara is sexually dimorphic with males being much larger than females. Their body length is 12 to 17 cm, and tail length is 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in). They store fat in their tail which at times can be over 16 mm (0.63 in) wide at the base.

Jocelyn Mary Taylor was an American mammalogist, who served as president of the American Society of Mammalogists from 1982 to 1984. She was also an honorary trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. As a pioneer for women in the field of mammalogy, Taylor actively worked to broaden the study, doing so as a member of the American Society of Mammalogists, as a university professor, and through conducting her research, publishing numerous works.

The southern mulgara is a newly described, potentially extinct, species of mulgara. The species is named after Australian palaeontologist Michael Archer, who contributed to many Australian palaeontological and mammalian discoveries.

The northern mulgara is a newly described, and potentially extinct, species of mulgara. The species is named after Dr. Patricia Woolley who previously worked on the genus Dasycercus, and has worked extensively with Australian dasyurids.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dr Patricia Woolley, zoologist". Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. Braithwaite, Richard W.; Lee, Anthony K. "A Mammalian Example of Semelparity" (PDF). University of Chicago Press Journals. The American Society of Naturalists. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. Woolley, P. A. (1982). "Phallic morphology of the Australian species of Antechinus (Dasyuridae, Marsupialia): a new taxonomic tool?". Carnivorous Marsupials. 2: 767–781.
  4. Kitchener, D. J.; Caputi, N. (1988). "A new species of false antechinus (Marsupialia~ Dasyuridae) from Western Australia, with remarks on the generic classification within the Parantechini" (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum. 14 (1): 46. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. Newman-Martin, Jake; Travouillon, Kenny J.; Warburton, Natalie; Barham, Milo; Blyth, Alison J. (2 October 2023). "Taxonomic review of the genus Dasycercus (Dasyuromorphia: Dasyuridae) using modern and subfossil material; and the description of three new species". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 47 (4): 624–661. doi: 10.1080/03115518.2023.2262083 . ISSN   0311-5518.
  6. "SWG: Past Outstanding Achievement Award Recipients". www.iswg.org.
  7. "Elected Honorary Members | American Society of Mammalogists". www.mammalsociety.org.
  8. "Honorary Life Membership | The Australian Mammal Society". australianmammals.org.au.