Little Long-tailed Dunnart
Encyclopedia
The Little Long-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis dolichura) is a 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....

 that was, along with Gilbert's Dunnart
Gilbert's Dunnart
Gilbert's Dunnart is a recently discovered dunnart, described in 1984. The length from snout to tail being 155-180 mm of which head to anus is 80-90 mm and tail 75-90 mm long...

, described in 1984. The length from snout to tail is 150-200 mm of which head to anus is 65-50 mm and tail 85-105 mm long. Hind foot size is 16-17 mm, ear length of 17-19 mm and with a weight of 10-20 g.

Distribution and habitat

There are two separate areas of habitation for this species, but no subspecies have been identified. The Western Australia distribution is in the northern Goldfield's and Geraldton hinterland, northwest coast, southwest coast and western plateau.
The South Australian area includes the coastal areas of the Great Australian Bight
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...

 on the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...

, Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...

 west of Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...

. Habitat the species prefers include dry sclerophyll, forest, semi-arid woodlands, mallee, (tall, tall open and low open) shrublands and open heath vegetation.

Social organisation and breeding

The species is nocturnal with males having a large home range, an adaptation to exploiting various habitats from one season to another. Females breed as early as 5-8 months and then only between March and August. Males can breed at 4-5 months. The joeys are weaned during September-December or when 5 grams. The lifespan of females is approximately two years and males just over one year.

Diet

Primarily an insect eater, the Little Long-tailed Dunnart will also consume small reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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