The movements of flying foxes will be tracked with GPS for the first time, in a bid to understand the spread of Hendra virus.
Agriculture Minister Tim Mulherin said a GPS data logger was last week fitted to a flying fox for the first time, tracking when it is feeding, sleeping or flying and where it flies.
"This will help us better understand movement between colonies, which in turn helps modelling when looking at the spread of Hendra virus between bat populations," Mr Mulherin told parliament on Wednesday.
It is hoped it will help researchers know why there are more confirmed cases in some years and during certain months.
The announcement comes after Hendra claimed the 11th horse this year in Queensland.
Its owner, a vet, and another 22 horses on the property were being tested for the bat-borne virus.
The horse died on Tuesday on a stud in the Gold Coast hinterland, an area popular for recreational horse owners.
Gold Coast vet Michael Higgins told ABC Radio on Wednesday the virus had the potential to be devastating.
"They have a lot of contact with their horses so you have a high risk for both horses and people involved with them," he said.
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