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Faunatech Universal Hair Funnel

The Faunatech Universal Hairfunnel is a trap designed to capture mammalian hair on a specially formulated sticky medium. Subsequent analysis of the captured hair sample enables reliable identification of many species of small to medium mammal.

The device consists of carefully sized and shaped half cone, open at one end and housing a perforated bait chamber at the opposite end. The internal surface of the cone accepts a "Faunagoo Wafer", a removable styrene card to which a very tenacious pressure sensitive glue like formulation has been coated. When enticed by the smell of bait, an animal enters the large open end of the Hairfunnel, and upon contacting the Faunagoo, a sample of hair is captured. The method allows the animal to come and go as it pleases.

Due to the careful contouring of the main cone, a range of small to medium mammals are easily accommodated. The open throat measures 90mm vertically, making it of a similar dimension to the body section of a small macropod or large dasyurid. Hair from the head of large macropods or wombats is likely to be captured at the opening as well.

Medium sized rodents and small possums will generally contact the wafer around the mid point, while at 25mm, the deepest confines of the Hairfunnel will reliably contact with small dasyurid and pseudomys sized creatures. The design therefore eliminates the need to deploy three or four sizes of conventional "hair tubes" to cover a practical range of animal sizes.

The Hairfunnel can be placed on the ground with simple tent pegs, or nailed or wired onto trees or logs via three attachment holes provided for the purpose. A raised floor and watertight upper surface assists in keeping the Faunagoo Wafer and the bait dry.

The Faunagoo Wafer if designed with three major considerations in mind:

• First it must reliably capture mammalian hair: It must be of a large surface area. It must remain sticky for a reasonable period in high temperature, high humidity environments, and conversely it must perform well in cold or dry conditions;
• Secondly it must be quick to install and remove from the Hairfunnel in the field;
• Thirdly, it must help to alleviate contamination from other sources after field deployment. (eg woollen strands from jumpers!).

The Faunagoo Wafer is a successful in all of these respects when compared with conventional double-sided tape arrangements. The Faunagoo material is thick and textured, and covers approximately 190 cm2. A major advantage over double sided tape is that Faunagoo will greatly recover its tackiness after getting wet, eg. when a water soaked animal enters the device during wet weather.

The Faunagoo Wafer is attached via special tabs rather then with glue. This makes loading and removal quick and straightforward. The entire floor of the Hairfunnel is unlatched and folded clear of the main cone, allowing full access to the wafer, which can then be unslotted in a matter of seconds and placed immediately into the specially coated bag. This straightforward procedure virtually eliminates contamination of the sample. In addition, the method avoids problems associated with premature peeling off of double sided tapes.

The bait chamber is made of stainless steel to eliminate damage by rodents. It is removable to facilitate bait removal and ease of cleaning.

The Universal Hairfunnel is designed to be a very cost effective and reliable alternative to live mammal trapping in situations where the recording of animal morphometrics are of low priority. Due to the non-invasive nature of the Hairfunnel, the device may be left deployed at a field site for an extended period, as distinct from conventional trapping techniques where frequent visitation is required to ensure the welfare of trapped animals.

Extended unsupervised deployment of Hairfunnels presents an additional important advantage over conventional trapping regimes. After the Hairfunnel is deployed for an initial period, the human odour tends to disperse into the atmosphere, partially eliminating a likely deterrent for certain animals.

The Universal Hairfunnel Trap is cast from of a tough UV stabilised polymer. All fittings are designed to withstand the rigours of field transport and adverse environmental conditions. The half cones are designed to stack together to reduce storage volume, useful for example when it is necessary to transporting a large number in a backpack.