Douglas narrow-footed pouch mouse
| Douglas narrow-footed pouch mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Sminthopsis douglasi | ||||||||||||
| Archer , 1979 |
The Douglas narrow-foot bag mouse ( Sminthopsis douglasi ), also known as the Julia Creek narrow-foot bag mouse , is a species of marsupial from the genus of narrow-foot bag mice .
description
The Douglas narrow-footed pouch mouse is the largest species in its genus. Their body length varies between 160 and 240 millimeters, of which the tail, which serves as a fat store, makes up 60 to 105 millimeters. Their weight is between 40 and 70 grams. The rear foot reaches a length of 22 to 24 millimeters. S. douglasi has brown fur with gray spots, a dark stripe from the forehead to the nose and a white belly. A typical distinguishing feature from other Sminthopsis species are dark hair rings around the eyes.
distribution and habitat
This bag mouse lives in the northwest of the Australian state of Queensland in the Mitchell Grass Mountains (Mitchell Grass Downs) near Julia Creek (after which this narrow-footed bag mouse got its English name) and Richmond . The species may also live on the Mitchell Plateau in Western Australia .
Lifestyle and diet
The Douglas narrow-footed pouch mouse is nocturnal ; it spends the day in self-dug holes in the ground. When it rains, it also looks for shelter under low vegetation.
The main diet of this pouch mouse consists of insects , centipedes , spiders , scorpions and skinks . But they also hunt lizards and mice . The species doesn't drink often because it gets adequate moisture from eating food.
Reproduction
Reproduction can take place at any time of the year. The gestation period is twelve days. Newborns are 4 millimeters tall and 15 milligrams in weight. You first breathe through your skin. Up to eight young are suckled in a bag-like fold of skin on the female's belly. Young animals independently prey on insects as early as ten weeks.
Females become sexually mature at 17 to 27 weeks, males at 28 to 31 weeks. This maturity shift could serve to reduce inbreeding between siblings.
Danger
Until its rediscovery, the species was only known from four finds. Although the population size is tending to decrease, the species is listed as near threatened by the IUCN , but is legally protected as an endangered species in Australia.
The main threat is the transformation of their habitat into pastures and predation by introduced species such as cats and foxes . The fragrant acacia ( Acacia nilotica ) is also a threat to the habitat of this marsupial, as the acacia , introduced in the 1890s, hampers the formation of undergrowth, which is used by Sminthopsis douglasi as a protective layer, due to heavy shading and high water requirements, in addition to the destruction of the grassland. and retreat is needed.
literature
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-801-88221-4 .
- Peter W. Menkhorst (Ed.): Mammals of Victoria. Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1995, ISBN 0-19-553733-5 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Sminthopsis Douglasi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: S. Burnett, J. Winter, 2008. Accessed September 5 2011th
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Geoff Lundie-Jenkins, Alison Payne: Julia Creek dunnart ( Sminthopsis douglasi ) recovery plan. In: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . 2009.
- ↑ Julia Creek Dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi). In: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 2011 (species description).
- ↑ Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World. ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005.
- ^ PB Frappell, JP Mortola: Respiratory function in a newborn marsupial with skin gas exchange. In: Respiration Physiology. 120, No. 1, 1999, doi : 10.1016 / S0034-5687 (99) 00103-6 .
- ↑ JP Mortola, P. B. Frappell, P. A. Woolley: Breathing through skin in a newborn mammal. In: Nature. 397, No. 660, 1999, doi : 10.1038 / 17713 .
