David Peacock

School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

College of Science

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


My primary interest is in the protection and recovery of Australia's natural resources through the control of vertebrate pest animals and the reintroduction of extirpated native fauna. Having directly observed the initial impacts of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in 1995-96, I then researched this and the myxoma virus for ~20 yrs with the Turretfield Rabbit Project. I now continue to research and search for additional biological control agents and pest animal control solutions, as well as assist ecological restoration through researching historical ecology and the reintroduction of extirpated native fauna. Returning the western quoll (idnya) to the Flinders Ranges (SA), with the first 42 animals released in 2014, was primarily reintroducing an additional rabbit predator to aid the recruitment of palatable native vegetation and ecological recovery.

Date Institution name Country Title
University of Adelaide Australia PhD
University of New England Australia Diploma in Natural Resources
South Australian College of Advanced Education Australia Bachelor of Applied Science (Wildlife & Park Management)

Year Citation
2024 Taggart, P. L., Cooke, B., Peacock, D. E., West, P., Sawyers, E., & Patel, K. K. (2024). Do land managers apply best-practice integrated pest management: a case study of the European rabbit. Journal of Pest Science, 97(3), 1691-1706.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5
2024 Peacock, D. E., Iannella, A., Sinclair, R. G., & Kovaliski, J. (2024). Surveillance of Wildlife Viruses: Insights from South Australia’s Monitoring of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV GI.1 and GI.2). Viruses, 16(10), 1553.
DOI WoS1
2024 Manning, T., Moyle, T., Peacock, D., & Austin, J. (2024). Extended sperm storage recorded in red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) during a trial translocation to Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park, South Australia. Australian Mammalogy, 46(3), AM24021-1-AM24021-5.
DOI
2023 Brewer, K., McWhorter, T. J., Moseby, K., Read, J. L., Peacock, D., & Blencowe, A. (2023). pH-Responsive Polymer Implants for the Protection of Native Mammals: Assessment of Material Properties and Poison Incorporation on Performance. Polymers, 15(4), 878-1-878-18.
DOI Scopus1
2023 Brewer, K., McWhorter, T. J., Moseby, K., Read, J. L., Peacock, D., & Blencowe, A. (2023). pH-responsive subcutaneous implants prepared via hot-melt extrusion and fluidised-bed spray coating for targeted invasive predator control. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 81, 104277-1-104277-9.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Taggart, P., Cooke, B., Peacock, D., West, P., Sawyers, E., & Patel, K. (2023). Make management count: A case study of the application of integrated pest management to control European rabbits. Journal of Pest Science.
2023 Jansen, J., Jansen, J., Dean, A. T., Brandle, R., Peacock, D. E., & Jones, M. E. (2023). High-resolution mapping of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) densities for targeted conservation management. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(12), 2602-2612.
DOI Scopus3 WoS2
2023 Peacock, D. E., Sinclair, R. G., & Cairns, S. (2023). A new longevity record for a wild European rabbit (<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>) from South Australia. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY, 46(1), 2 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2022 Peacock, D. E. (2022). Damage to human remains attributed to scavenging by quolls (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae). Australian Mammalogy, 44(3), 1-7.
DOI Scopus1
2022 Peacock, D., Croxford, A., Iannella, A., Kovaliski, J., Lavazza, A., Cooke, B., . . . Sawyers, E. (2022). Using genetic analysis to determine the distribution, prevalence and diversity of Eimeria species in pest rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Australia. Parasitology International, 91, 102642-1-102642-8.
DOI Scopus1
2022 Brewer, K., Mcwhorter, T. J., Sloper, C., Moseby, K., Read, J. L., Peacock, D., & Blencowe, A. (2022). Toward Targeted Invasive Predator Control: Developing pH-Responsive Subcutaneous Implants for Native Mammals. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 4(9), 6687-6699.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2021 Deak, B. P., Ostendorf, B., Bardsley, D. K., Taggart, D. A., & Peacock, D. E. (2021). The significance of landholder gender and previous knowledge of control methods for effective feral cat (Felis catus) management in south-eastern Australia. Environmental Sociology, 7(3), 239-253.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3
2021 Meaney, K. M., Peacock, D. E., Taggart, D., & Smith, J. (2021). Rapid colonisation, breeding and successful recruitment of eastern barn owls (Tyto alba delicatula) using a customised wooden nest box in remnant mallee cropping areas of southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. WILDLIFE RESEARCH, 48(4), 334-344.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3
2021 Moseby, K. E., Hodgens, P., Peacock, D., Mooney, P., Brandle, R., Lynch, C., . . . Jensen, M. A. (2021). Intensive monitoring, the key to identifying cat predation as a major threat to native carnivore (Dasyurus geoffroii) reintroduction. Biodiversity and Conservation, 30(5), 1547-1571.
DOI Scopus18 WoS16
2021 Taggart, P. L., Fancourt, B. A., Boardman, W. S. J., Peacock, D. E., & Caraguel, C. G. B. (2021). INFECTION PRESSURE IS NECESSARY, BUT NOT SUFFICIENT BY ITSELF, TO EXPLAIN TOXOPLASMA GONDII SEROPREVALENCE IN INTERMEDIATE HOST SPECIES.. The Journal of parasitology, 107(4), 554-561.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC1
2021 Jansen, J., McGregor, H., Axford, G., Dean, A. T., Comte, S., Johnson, C. N., . . . Jones, M. E. (2021). Long-distance movements of feral cats in semi-arid South Australia and implications for conservation management. Animals, 11(11), 3125-1-3125-16.
DOI Scopus10 WoS9 Europe PMC1
2021 Deak, B. P., Ostendorf, B., Bardsley, D. K., Taggart, D. A., & Peacock, D. E. (2021). The Influence of Land Use and Location on Landholder Attitudes Towards Feral Cat (Felis catus) Management in South-eastern Australia. Human Ecology, 49(6), 843-857.
DOI
2020 Taggart, P. L., Peacock, D. E., & Fancourt, B. A. (2020). Camera trap flash-type does not influence the behaviour of feral cats (Felis catus). Australian Mammalogy, 42(2), 220-222.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13
2020 Grealy, A., McDowell, M., Retallick, C., Bunce, M., & Peacock, D. (2020). Novel mitochondrial haplotype of spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) present on Kangaroo Island (South Australia) prior to extirpation. The Holocene, 30(1), 135-144.
DOI Scopus3 WoS5
2020 Taggart, D. A., Finlayson, G. R., Sparrow, E. E., Dibben, R. M., Dibben, J. A., Campbell, E. C., . . . Temple-Smith, P. D. (2020). Environmental Factors Influencing Hairy-Nosed Wombat Abundance in Semi-Arid Rangelands. Journal of Wildlife Management, 84(5), 921-929.
DOI Scopus12 WoS13
2020 McKenny, L., O'Handley, R., Kovaliski, J., Mutze, G., Peacock, D., & Lanyon, S. (2020). Evidence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in South Australia: using wild rabbits as a sentinel species. Australian Veterinary Journal, 98(8), 380-387.
DOI Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC5
2020 Schwensow, N., Pederson, S., Peacock, D., Cooke, B., & Cassey, P. (2020). Adaptive changes in the genomes of wild rabbits after 16 years of viral epidemics. Molecular Ecology, 29(19), 3777-3794.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC5
2019 Taggart, P., Fancourt, B., Peacock, D., Caraguel, C. G., & McAllister, M. (2019). Variation in Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence: effects of site, sex, species and behaviour between insular and mainland macropods. Wildlife Research, 47(8), 540-546.
DOI Scopus12 WoS9
2019 Kerr, P. J., Eden, J. S., Di Giallonardo, F., Peacock, D., Liu, J., Strive, T., . . . Holmes, E. C. (2019). Punctuated evolution of myxoma virus: rapid and disjunct evolution of a recent viral lineage in Australia. Journal of Virology, 93(8), e01994-18-1-e01994-18-18.
DOI Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC15
2019 Roy-Dufresne, E., Lurgi, M., Brown, S. C., Wells, K., Cooke, B., Mutze, G., . . . Fordham, D. A. (2019). The Australian National Rabbit Database: 50 yr of population monitoring of an invasive species. Ecology, 100(7), 1 page.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC7
2019 Taggart, P., Fancourt, B., Bengsen, A., Peacock, D., Hodgens, P., Read, J., . . . Caraguel, C. G. (2019). Evidence of significantly higher island feral cat abundance compared to the adjacent mainland. Wildlife Research, 46(5), 378-385.
DOI Scopus24 WoS21
2019 Taggart, P., Fancourt, B., Fabijan, J., Peacock, D., Speight, K., Caraguel, C. G., & McAllister, M. M. (2019). No evidence of toxoplasma gondii exposure in South Australian Koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). Journal of Parasitology, 105(4), 638-641.
DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC3
2019 Dunlop, J., Peacock, D., Moore, H., & Cowan, M. (2019). Albinism in Dasyurus species- A collation of historical and modern records. Australian Mammalogy, 42(1), 114-118.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8
2019 Deak, B. P., Ostendorf, B., Taggart, D., Peacock, D., & Bardsley, D. (2019). The Significance of Social Perceptions in Implementing Successful Feral Cat Management Strategies: A Global Review. Animals, 9(9), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus27 WoS28 Europe PMC11
2019 Iannella, A., Peacock, D., Cassey, P., & Schwensow, N. (2019). Genetic perspectives on the historical introduction of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) to Australia. Biological Invasions, 21(2), 603-614.
DOI Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC4
2018 Barnett, L., Prowse, T., Peacock, D., Mutze, G., Sinclair, R., Kovaliski, J., . . . Bradshaw, C. (2018). Previous exposure to myxoma virus reduces survival of European rabbits during outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55(6), 2954-2962.
DOI Scopus21 WoS19 Europe PMC4
2018 Mutze, G., De Preu, N., Mooney, T., Koerner, D., McKenzie, D., Sinclair, R., . . . Peacock, D. (2018). Substantial numerical decline in South Australian rabbit populations following the detection of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2. Veterinary Record, 182(20), 4 pages.
DOI Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC9
2018 Peacock, D., & Grillo, T. (2018). Detecting European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) disease outbreaks by monitoring digital media. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 54(3), 544-547.
DOI Scopus1
2018 Peacock, D. E., Fancourt, B. A., McDowell, M. C., & Abbott, I. (2018). Survival histories of marsupial carnivores on Australian continental shelf islands highlight climate change and Europeans as likely extirpation factors: implications for island predator restoration. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27(10), 2477-2494.
DOI Scopus8 WoS8
2018 Mahar, J. E., Hall, R. N., Peacock, D., Kovaliski, J., Piper, M., Mourant, R., . . . Strive, T. (2018). Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2; GI.2) is replacing endemic strains of RHDV in the Australian landscape within 18 months of its arrival. Journal of Virology, 92(2), e01374-17-1-e01374-17-15.
DOI Scopus94 Europe PMC73
2017 Le Pendu, J., Abrantes, J., Bertagnoli, S., Guitton, J. S., Le Gall-Reculé, G., Lopes, A. M., . . . Esteves, P. (2017). Proposal for a unified classification system and nomenclature of lagoviruses. Journal of General Virology, 98(7), 1658-1666.
DOI Scopus168 Europe PMC139
2017 Thulin, C. G., Alves, P. C., Djan, M., Fontanesi, L., & Peacock, D. (2017). Wild opportunities with dedomestication genetics of rabbits. Restoration Ecology, 25(3), 330-332.
DOI Scopus6
2017 Hall, R., Peacock, D., Kovaliski, J., Mahar, J., Mourant, R., Piper, M., & Strive, T. (2017). Detection of RHDV2 in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) in Australia. Veterinary Record, 180(5), 121.
DOI Scopus58 WoS50 Europe PMC47
2017 Schwensow, N., Mazzoni, C., Marmesat, E., Fickel, J., Peacock, D., Kovaliski, J., . . . Sommer, S. (2017). High adaptive variability and virus-driven selection on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in invasive wild rabbits in Australia. Biological Invasions, 19(4), 1255-1271.
DOI Scopus18 WoS17 Europe PMC7
2017 Peacock, D., Kovaliski, J., Sinclair, R., Mutze, G., Iannella, A., & Capucci, L. (2017). RHDV2 overcoming RHDV immunity in wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Australia. Veterinary Record, 180(11), 280-1-280-3.
DOI Scopus39 WoS34 Europe PMC30
2017 Swinbourne, M. J., Taggart, D. A., Peacock, D., & Ostendorf, B. (2017). Historical changes in the distribution of hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus spp.): a review. Australian Mammalogy, 39(1), 1-16.
DOI Scopus31 WoS27
2017 Schwensow, N. I., Detering, H., Pederson, S., Mazzoni, C., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., . . . Sommer, S. (2017). Resistance to RHD virus in wild Australian rabbits: Comparison of susceptible and resistant individuals using a genomewide approach. Molecular Ecology, 26(17), 4551-4561.
DOI Scopus15 WoS14 Europe PMC12
2016 Wells, K., Cassey, P., Sinclair, R., Mutze, G., Peacock, D., Lacy, R., . . . Fordham, D. (2016). Targeting season and age for optimizing control of invasive rabbits. Journal of Wildlife Management, 80(6), 990-999.
DOI Scopus9 WoS9
2015 Wells, K., Brook, B., Lacy, R., Mutze, G., Peacock, D., Sinclair, R., . . . Fordham, D. (2015). Timing and severity of immunizing diseases in rabbits is controlled by seasonal matching of host and pathogen dynamics. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 12(103), 20141184-1-20141184-11.
DOI Scopus31 WoS31 Europe PMC19
2015 Moseby, K., Peacock, D., & Read, J. (2015). Catastrophic cat predation: a call for predator profiling in wildlife protection programs. Biological Conservation, 191, 331-340.
DOI Scopus123 WoS119 Europe PMC14
2015 Read, J., Peacock, D., Wayne, A., & Moseby, K. (2015). Toxic Trojans: Can feral cat predation be mitigated by making their prey poisonous?. Wildlife Research, 42(8), 689-696.
DOI Scopus27 WoS27
2015 Peacock, D., Wakelin-King, G. A., & Shepherd, B. (2015). Cane toads (Rhinella marina) in south-western Queensland: Invasion front, spread and how Cooper Creek geomorphology could enable invasion into north-eastern South Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology, 62(5), 366-373.
DOI Scopus4
2014 Peacock, D., & Abbott, I. (2014). When the 'native cat' would 'plague': Historical hyperabundance in the quoll (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) and an assessment of the role of disease, cats and foxes in its curtailment. Australian Journal of Zoology, 62(4), 294-344.
DOI Scopus36
2014 Mutze, G., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., Capucci, L., & Kovaliski, J. (2014). Is increased juvenile infection the key to recovery of wild rabbit populations from the impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease?. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 60(3), 489-499.
DOI Scopus19 WoS20
2014 Schwensow, N., Cooke, B., Kovaliski, J., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., Fickel, J., & Sommer, S. (2014). Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: virus persistence and adaptation in Australia. Evolutionary Applications, 7(9), 1056-1067.
DOI Scopus37 WoS34 Europe PMC24
2014 Kovaliski, J., Sinclair, R., Mutze, G., Peacock, D., Strive, T., Abrantes, J., . . . Holmes, E. (2014). Molecular epidemiology of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus in Australia: when one became many. Molecular Ecology, 23(2), 408-420.
DOI Scopus39 WoS37 Europe PMC27
2014 Mutze, G., Bird, P., Jennings, S., Peacock, D., De Preu, N., Kovaliski, J., . . . Capucci, L. (2014). Recovery of South Australian rabbit populations from the impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease. Wildlife Research, 41(7), 552-559.
DOI Scopus35
2013 Peacock, D., & Abbott, I. (2013). The role of quoll (Dasyurus) predation in the outcome of pre-1900 introductions of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) to the mainland and islands of Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology, 61(3), 206-280.
DOI Scopus30
2012 Bird, P., Mutze, G., Peacock, D., & Jennings, S. (2012). Damage caused by low-density exotic herbivore populations: The impact of introduced European rabbits on marsupial herbivores and Allocasuarina and Bursaria seedling survival in Australian coastal shrubland. Biological Invasions, 14(3), 743-755.
DOI Scopus53
2012 Moulton, M. P., Cropper, W. P., Moulton, L. E., Avery, M. L., & Peacock, D. (2012). A reassessment of historical records of avian introductions to Australia: No case for propagule pressure. Biodiversity and Conservation, 21(1), 155-174.
DOI Scopus15
2012 Fordham, D., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., Mutze, G., Kovaliski, J., Cassey, P., . . . Brook, B. (2012). European rabbit survival and recruitment are linked to epidemiological and environmental conditions in their exotic range. Austral Ecology, 37(8), 945-957.
DOI Scopus19 WoS17
2012 Peacock, D., Mutze, G., Sinclair, R., Kovaliski, J., & Cooke, B. (2012). Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: Applying Occam's Razor to competing hypotheses. Molecular Ecology, 21(5), 1038-1041.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2011 Peacock, D. E., Christensen, P. E., & Williams, B. D. (2011). Historical accounts of toxicity to introduced carnivores consuming bronzewing pigeons (Phaps chalcoptera and P. elegans) and other vertebrate fauna in south-west Western Australia. Australian Zoologist, 35(3), 826-838.
DOI Scopus11
2010 Peacock, D., & Abbott, I. (2010). The mongoose in Australia: Failed introduction of a biological control agent. Australian Journal of Zoology, 58(4), 205-227.
DOI Scopus16
2010 Mutze, G., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., Kovaliski, J., & Capucci, L. (2010). Does a benign calicivirus reduce the effectiveness of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) in Australia? Experimental evidence from field releases of RHDV on bait. Wildlife Research, 37(4), 311-319.
DOI Scopus16 WoS14
2009 Peacock, D. E., & Sinclair, R. G. (2009). Longevity record for a wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from South Australia. Australian Mammalogy, 31(1), 65-66.
DOI Scopus20
2009 Peacock, D. (2009). The Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis in Adelaide, South Australia: Its introduction and eradication. Victorian Naturalist, 126(4), 150-155.
Scopus15
2007 Peacock, D. E., Williams, B. D., & Christensen, P. E. (2007). 'Total fluorine' analysis of seed of Australian Gastrolobium spp. showing temporal, spatial and morphological variation. Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 128(6), 631-635.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3
2006 Peacock, D. E. (2006). Historical accounts of the numbat myrmecobius fasciatus from south-west Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy, 28(1), 97-100.
DOI Scopus3
2002 Mutze, G., Bird, P., Kovaliski, J., Peacock, D., Jennings, S., & Cooke, B. (2002). Emerging epidemiological patterns in rabbit haemorrhagic disease, its interaction with myxomatosis, and their effects on rabbit populations in South Australia. Wildlife Research, 29(6), 577-590.
DOI Scopus74
1999 Kolesik, P., & Peacock, D. E. (1999). A new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) damaging branch shoots of the dryland tea-tree, <i>Melaleuca lanceolata</i> (Myrtaceae). TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 123, 115-119.
WoS6
1999 Kolesik, P., & Peacock, D. E. (1999). A new species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) damaging branch shoots of the dryland tea-tree, Melaleuca lanceolata (Myrtaceae). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 123(3-4), 115-119.
Scopus6

Year Citation
1983 NORTON, P. R., PEACOCK, D. E., BOONE, D. H., & RIGNEY, D. V. (1983). PLASMA SPRAY SURFACE PROCESSING EFFECTS ON OXIDE ADHERENCE. In JOURNAL OF METALS Vol. 35 (pp. 105). MINERALS METALS MATERIALS SOC.

Year Citation
2016 Taggart, P., Caraguel, C. G., McAllister, M., Peacock, D., & Fancourt, B. (2016). Investigating correlates of Toxoplasma gondii infection to explain its higher prevalence on Kangaroo Island. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australian Mammal Society Conference. Alice Springs, Australia.
2016 Taggart, P., Caraguel, C. G., McAllister, M., Peacock, D., & Fancourt, B. (2016). Investigating correlates of Toxoplasma gondii infection to explain its higher prevalence on Kangaroo Island. Poster session presented at the meeting of Natural Resource Management Science Conference. Adelaide, Australia.
2016 Taggart, P., Caraguel, C. G., McAllister, M. M., Peacock, D., & Fancourt, B. (2016). Risk factors associated with sarcocystosis in South Australia: Describing and explaining the spatial distribution of a cat-borne disease. Poster session presented at the meeting of Wildlife Disease Association Australasian Section Conference. Falls Creek, Australia.

Year Citation
- Manning, T., Moyle, T., Peacock, D., & Austin, J. (n.d.). Red-tailed phascogale parentage analysis dataset (1000 SNP loci + life history file) and R script for analysis.
DOI

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor The ecology of the threatened southern brown bandicoot on Kangaroo Island post 2019-20 fires. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Charlotte Ebony Drake
2025 Co-Supervisor Conservation genomics and microbiome studies of the brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Courtney Skye Morris
2021 Principal Supervisor Phascogale calura reintroduction to South Australia: history, diet, habitat use and genetics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Tessa Paris Manning

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2016 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Ecology of Cat-borne Parasitoses in Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Patrick Leo Taggart
2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Co-Evolution of Rabbits and the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) in Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Amy Rebecca Iannella

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