Abstract
IT has been shown that there is a seasonal anaemia, during the summer months, in a wild population of the quokka Setonix brachyurus Quoy and Gaimard, on Rottnest Island, Western Australia1,2. During an investigation of the possibility that copper deficiency was involved in the seasonal anaemia, it was observed that, in the spring (October) of 1958, female quokkas had lower haemoglobin-levels than did males, in two study areas (West End and Lake Bagdad) on the island. At the same time, female quokkas in the Lake Bagdad area had significantly lower copper-levels in their blood than did males in the same locality. At other times of the year, there were no differences between the sexes in haemoglobin- or copper-levels in the blood2. It was thought that the sex difference in copper-levels in the blood during the spring could be attributed to the fact that, at this season, the females are suckling large pouch young. In November, the young leave the pouch permanently, and feed mainly on solid food.
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