Stripe-faced Dunnart
Encyclopedia
The Striped-faced Dunnart (Sminthopsis macroura) is an Australia
n marsupial
. This dunnart
has an average length of 155-198 mm from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, snout to anus distance of 75-98 mm, a tail measuring 80-100 mm and an ear length of 17-18 mm. Its weight varies between 15-25 grams. It has a dark stripe between its ears on top of the snout to the nose. The tail is a little fat at the base but becomes slender at the end.
Although this species is described by the IUCN as of "least concern", the NSW Threatened Species website lists it as "vulnerable".
s and spider
s)and also some small reptiles
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n marsupial
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...
. 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 an average length of 155-198 mm from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, snout to anus distance of 75-98 mm, a tail measuring 80-100 mm and an ear length of 17-18 mm. Its weight varies between 15-25 grams. It has a dark stripe between its ears on top of the snout to the nose. The tail is a little fat at the base but becomes slender at the end.
Although this species is described by the IUCN as of "least concern", the NSW Threatened Species website lists it as "vulnerable".
Distribution and habitat
This dasyurid is found throughout central Australia from the Pilbara to central Northern Territory, western and central Queensland, south to north-east South Australia to north and west New South Wales. It inhabits sandy soils with dune hummock grasslands, tussock grasslands and scrublands.Social organisation and breeding
The Stripe-faced Dunart breeds from July through February and has a gestation period of 11 days, the shortest of any mammal. The 6-8 joeys have a pouch life of 40 days and are weaned at 70 days. There are usually 2 litters per season.Diet
This dunnart's diet consists of small invertebrate ( termiteTermite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s)and also some small reptiles