Hairy-footed Dunnart
Encyclopedia
The Hairy-footed Dunnart (Sminthopsis hirtipes) is a dunnart
that has silver hairs on the soles of it hind feet accompanied by long hair on the side of its sole. It is an Australia
n marsupial
similar to the Ooldea Dunnart
, with its upper body yellow-brown and lower body white in colour. Its total length is 147-180 mm; its average body length is 72-85 mm with a tail of 75-95 mm. Its ear length is 15 mm. This dasyurid weighs between 13 and 19 grams. Its tail is thin and pinkish white, can be thickened at the base.
Bay and Kilbarri in Western Australia
, a large area where the border of South Australia
, Northern Territory
and Western Australia converge and a small area between the Northern Territory and Queensland
border 100 km north of the South Australian border. Its habitat includes arid
and semi-arid
woodland
s, heath
, savannah
grassland
s.
s built by spider
s, bull ants and other similar burrowing type species. Not much is known about the breeding cycle but the young are in the pouch by October and juveniles emerge by late April.
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....
that has silver hairs on the soles of it hind feet accompanied by long hair on the side of its sole. It is an Australia
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...
similar to the Ooldea Dunnart
Ooldea Dunnart
The Ooldea Dunnart , also called Troughton's Dunnart after the person who found the species, is an Australian marsupial similar to the Hairy-footed Dunnart. It is greyish-yellow on its upper body and white on the underside with dark patches on its crown, forehead and in front of the eyes, and a...
, with its upper body yellow-brown and lower body white in colour. Its total length is 147-180 mm; its average body length is 72-85 mm with a tail of 75-95 mm. Its ear length is 15 mm. This dasyurid weighs between 13 and 19 grams. Its tail is thin and pinkish white, can be thickened at the base.
Distribution and habitat
This species inhabits 3 distinct areas; around Monkey MiaMonkey Mia
Monkey Mia is a popular tourist resort located about 800 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The resort is 25 km northeast of the town of Denham in the Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site....
Bay and Kilbarri in 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...
, a large area where the border of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and Western Australia converge and a small area between the Northern Territory and 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...
border 100 km north of the South Australian border. Its habitat includes arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
and semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
, savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s.
Social organisation and breeding
The Hairy-footed Dunnart lives in burrowBurrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
s built by 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, bull ants and other similar burrowing type species. Not much is known about the breeding cycle but the young are in the pouch by October and juveniles emerge by late April.