Voting closed! We’ll be back in two hours with the result and to open voting for the Top 9.
Which mammal will be eliminated from the running tomorrow? You decide here!
After an intense 4 weeks of voting, we can finally announce the Top 10 finalists for 2023’s Australian Mammal of the Year competition.
You’ve now got until 10am AEST tomorrow to vote for the mammal you want to see progress to the next round. After which we’ll knock out the contestant with the least votes, clear the tallies, and start voting again for the Top 9 at 12pm AEST.
In no particular order, here are our Top 10!
Ghost bat (Macroderma gigas)
Phantom of the Australian night sky, the ghost bat, took home 23.6% of the vote in “Savanna Scurriers”, knocking the northern hairy-nosed wombat down a peg in the process.
Dugong (Dugong dugon)
The dugong has out du-done itself this year! With 28.7% of votes in “Under the Sea: Marine Marvels”, the species is once again in the Top 10.
Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus)
The Australian fur seal has made an em-ocean-al comeback this year! Having placed second in “Under the Sea: Marine Marvels” behind the dugong, unlike last year, it collected enough votes overall to make it to the Top 10.
Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)
The diligent and hard-working excavator, the greater bilby, hopped ahead of the competition in “Just Deserts: Some Like It Hot” with 18.7% of the vote. This is an incredible change of fortune for the bilby, after narrowly missing out on making the cut last year.
Gilbert’s Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii)
The beautiful truffle-hunter Gilbert’s Potoroo has made another triumphant come-back, securing 56.5% of support in in “Woodland Wanderers” and nudging out the numbat to take first place.
Spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus conspicillatus)
With 27.3% of the support, the spectacled flying-fox is the ultimate “Rainforest Rambler”, ahead of Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo which was unable to climb to the top of the leaderboard.
Platypus(Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
The platypus has swum to victory in its category, “City Livin’: Urban Neighbours”, for the second year in a row. It collected 23.3% of the vote, ahead of the equally aquatic water rat in second place.
Golden-tipped bat (Phoniscus papuensis)
New to Australian Mammal of the Year for 2023, the golden-tipped bat has made a glittering impression on voters. With 46.1% of the votes in “The Cool South: Forest Fossickers” this bat has pipped the quokka at the post – second in its category for the second year in a row.
Dingo (Canis dingo or Canis familiaris)
Our charismatic but controversial canid, the dingo, has managed to repeat last year’s performance and make it to the Top 10 once more – with 32.6% of the vote in “Snow Patrol: Alpine Adventurers”.
Mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus)
The tiny but powerful mountain pygmy possum scaled to second position in “Snow Patrol: Alpine Adventurers”, but still managed to receive enough votes overall to secure its spot in the Top 10 for a second year!
How does voting work?
“But how does voting work?” you may ask. Don’t worry, it’s super simple.
Voting has now opened for the Top 10 and will be open until 10:00am AEST tomorrow, Tuesday 15 August.
Then, at 12:00pm AEST we’ll announce the mammal that has received the least votes and has been booted out of the running.
We’ll set the tally back to zero and open up voting for the Top 9 anew. Voting will be open for 22 hours, until 12pm AEST the following day. And repeat!
Each day we’ll whittle away at the list of our most marvellous mammals until the Top 3 left standing are announced on Monday 21 August.
After 3 days of voting we’ll finally put the debate to rest for 2023 and crown Australia’s Mammal of the Year on Thursday 24 August!
Vote for your pick in the Top 10 here:
After the tally closes each day we’ll scrutineer the votes to ensure that, like last year, passionate supporters haven’t guaranteed their mammal’s place with any anomalous voting. So, get your friends, family, and members of the public involved, instead of spamming the voting form and giving yourself a sprained finger!
The Ultramarine project – focussing on research and innovation in our marine environments – is supported by Minderoo Foundation.