White-tailed Dunnart
Encyclopedia
The White-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis granulipes), also known as the Ash-grey Dunnart, is a dunnart
native to Australia
. It has an average body length of 126-168 mm, a snout to anus length of 70-100 mm, a tail measurement of 56-68 mm and a weight which varies between 18-35 grams. The tail is often swollen at the base with brown near anus to white at the tip.
. The first is east of Perth
in the western Goldfields area and the second is to the north of Perth between Kalbarri
and Jurien Bay
. Habitat consists of coastal heath and sparse to dense shrublands sometimes with mallee eucalypt.
, though it is most likely nocturnal. It breeds from June through August with young weaned by October.
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....
native to 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...
. It has an average body length of 126-168 mm, a snout to anus length of 70-100 mm, a tail measurement of 56-68 mm and a weight which varies between 18-35 grams. The tail is often swollen at the base with brown near anus to white at the tip.
Distribution and habitat
This dasyurid occupies two separate areas in Western AustraliaWestern 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 first is east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in the western Goldfields area and the second is to the north of Perth between Kalbarri
Kalbarri, Western Australia
Kalbarri is a coastal town in the Mid West region located 592 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The town is found at the mouth of the Murchison River and has an elevation of...
and Jurien Bay
Jurien Bay, Western Australia
-Demographics:At the ABS 2006 census, Jurien Bay had a population of 1,175, which represented over one-third of the total population of the Shire of Dandaragan...
. Habitat consists of coastal heath and sparse to dense shrublands sometimes with mallee eucalypt.
Social organisation and breeding
Little is known of the behaviour and breeding of this marsupialMarsupial
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...
, though it is most likely nocturnal. It breeds from June through August with young weaned by October.