Julia Creek Dunnart
Encyclopedia
The Julia Creek Dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi) is a marsupial
with a large buffy brown upperside and white underside. This dunnart
has a body length of 100-135 mm with a tail of 60-105 mm to make a total length of between 160-240 mm. Its weight is between 40-70g. The length of the hind foot is between 22-24 mm. The species has a dark brown triangle colour from above and below the eye with the point at the nose, and another dark stripe on top of the skull. A healthy dunnart has a carrot shaped tail filled with fat stores.
in Queensland
, it possibly occurs in the Mitchell Plateau of Western Australia
. The Prickly Acacia is a threat to its habitat as it kills native grasslands. Cultivation and introduced species also threatens this dasyurid's habitat.
doesn't drink often as all the water it needs is in the food. Gestation is for 12 days with an average of eight young born. Males are independent in 210 days and females in 168 days. A 4-mm-long joey can breathe through its skin.
species by the IUCN. This is likely due to the invasion of prickly acacia plants and introduced predators such as cats and foxes.
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
with a large buffy brown upperside and white underside. This dunnart
Dunnart
Dunnarts are furry narrow-footed marsupials the size of a mouse, members of the genus Sminthopsis. They are mainly insectivorous. A male dunnart's Y chromosome has only 4 genes, making it the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome....
has a body length of 100-135 mm with a tail of 60-105 mm to make a total length of between 160-240 mm. Its weight is between 40-70g. The length of the hind foot is between 22-24 mm. The species has a dark brown triangle colour from above and below the eye with the point at the nose, and another dark stripe on top of the skull. A healthy dunnart has a carrot shaped tail filled with fat stores.
Distribution and habitat
Typically found on 8000 km² in the Mitchel Grass downs of riparian grassland's, between Julia Creek and RichmondRichmond, Queensland
Richmond is a town in western Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Flinders Highway, 498 km west of Townsville and 406 km east of Mount Isa. It is the administrative centre of the Richmond Shire. At the 2006 census, Richmond had a population of 554.The Flinders River forms...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, it possibly occurs in the Mitchell Plateau of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The Prickly Acacia is a threat to its habitat as it kills native grasslands. Cultivation and introduced species also threatens this dasyurid's habitat.
Social organisation and breeding
During the dry season, it shelters in cracks in the ground; in the wet season it shelters under vegetation. This nocturnal animalNocturnal animal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal"....
doesn't drink often as all the water it needs is in the food. Gestation is for 12 days with an average of eight young born. Males are independent in 210 days and females in 168 days. A 4-mm-long joey can breathe through its skin.
Status
The Julia Creek Dunnart is currently listed as an near threatenedNear Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
species by the IUCN. This is likely due to the invasion of prickly acacia plants and introduced predators such as cats and foxes.