A brushtail possum is seen at night in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Photo: Brisbane City Council – Creating habitat for wildlife such as the Brushtail possum, CC BY 2.0
One New Zealand researcher is studying the phases of the moon and its effect on nocturnal pests such as possums and rats, reports Radio New Zealand.
A Lincoln University ecology master’s degree student in New Zealand, Shannon Gilmore will monitor the presence of the pests with an astronomers’ tool, a Sky Quality Meter. The equipment can help accurately measure whether the pests respond to moon cycles or light levels from the moon.
She will be conducting the study on the Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand.
“If we can predict which phase of the moon they’re going to be most active … then we can determine whether it’s worth deploying control,” Gilmore told Radio New Zealand.
Do you believe lunar light, or phases of the moon, have an influence on nocturnal activity?
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