Marcus Chua

Studies mammals of SE Asia. Biodiversity, conservation, and natural history museums. Also swims, hifi, and ramen.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

[New paper] After the 2023 African Swine Fever outbreak, greater mouse-deer density on Pulau Ubin, Singapore surged to 293/km2—the highest known for the species.

Likely drivers: >98% wild pig mortality, active reforestation and low predation pressure.

https://t.co/nOy0vD5fES

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Headed to Kunming’s Natural History Museum of Zoology to study some mouse-deer and civets after.

But not without some remarkable fossils along the way.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Opening of @theATBC 62th annual meeting at Xishuangbanna, China.

Some 1,000 participants from all over the world focused on tropical biology and conservation.

I like that there’s no plastic casing for the tag. Instead it’s a pulp card that can sprout flowers. #ATBC2026

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

@kwaniefung #ATBC2026 was a lot of fun. Especially with friends. Beyond the presentations, it was replete with wild mushrooms, ice cream and wildlife.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

"To be conservation-relevant, camera-trapping applications must move beyond solely gaining biological understanding towards supporting management decisions that could shift a system to a more desirable state."

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Hear hear: From ... Making camera-trap monitoring matter for conservation

"We must distinguish between monitoring intended to trigger immediate action and monitoring intended to serve as a biodiversity inventory or a baseline for future generations."

https://t.co/foSoxDf9TG

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Still reeling from the wonderful trip back to Washington DC, hanging out with mammalogists and friends and all the noshes I’ve missed.

And a week later it’s time to go to Yunnan, China for a meeting of tropical biologists. Can’t wait.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Management implications:

Reducing mortality such as enforcing reduced speed limit, road calming and fencing more effecfive.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Late start for the @mammalogist #ASM2026 meeting this morning.

Went out for a walk by the waterfront and saw some marine mammals and an enormous carrier.

Prepping my talk for the community structure, niche overlap & coexistence session at 1:45 pm!

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

However tracked bobcats appear to avoid major road.

And few bobcats actually use crossing structures.

In fact, their behavior such as home range size is hardly changed by roads. Movement speed increases in area with lots of roads though.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Day 1 @Mammalogists #ASM2026 went by in a blink of an eye.

Most striking slide by @DanielC23028196: the twisted impact of colonization on Latin American fauna, increasing effective pop. size!

Also hands on with the incredibly well-made @WildlifeAcoust SM5BAT (but $1,049 RRP!).

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

One of the highlights while working there was when @kreepyquoll dangled this male hammer-headed bat skull in front of me and allowed me to hold it.

The huge head and larynx of the bat act as a sound machine, amplifying their honking calls.

What a marvel.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Back in the DC area for @Mammalogists meeting #ASM2026.

This past week has been a hectic non-stop cycle of otters, civets, and otter civets at the Smithsonian @NMNH.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

The mercury hit a sweltering 36°C (97°F) at Norfolk, Virginia where @Mammalogists are having their annual #ASM2026 meeting.

It’s so bad that even the resident grey squirrel is splooting to thermoregulate.

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

@familyvisitdc @Mammalogists @NMNH If I could I’d love to live in the collections a month each year. There’s so much to discover!

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

We were taught how to be first responders during a stranding event as part of the workshop—in a water theme park wave pool for realism.

Could’ve been useful here. Or if one of the world’s greatest gathering of experts could have examined the carcass and provided some wisdom. 🫠

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

Some kind of grand irony that a dugong stranded in Singapore a day after the marine mammal stranding workshop.

https://t.co/M7ijyTxIw8

[Marcus Chua @marcuschua]

At the Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network symposium and workshop.

Keynote by Lemnuel Aragones highlighted the increasing trend of marine mammal stranding in Asia.

A high proportion (vs. world average; 5–15%) are live stranding—80% in 🇵🇭.