Short-nosed pouches
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Kurznasenbeutler ( Isoodon ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Isoodon | ||||||||||||
| Desmarest , 1817 |
The Kurznasenbeutler ( Isoodon ) are a genus of marsupials from the order of the Nasenbeutler . The genus is divided into four species, the large short-nosed pouch ( Isoodon macrourus ), the small short-nosed pouch ( I. obesulus ), the golden short-nosed pouch ( I. auratus ) and Isoodon fusciventer .
description
Short-nosed pouches are physically reminiscent of large rats . As with all nosebags, the elongated snout is typical, but their skull is wider than, for example, that of the long-nosed purse . Their rough fur is colored brown, orange or yellow on the upper side, the underside is yellow-gray. These animals reach a head-trunk length of 21 to 47 centimeters, a tail length of 8 to 21 centimeters and a weight of 0.3 to 3 kilograms.
Distribution and way of life
These animals are (or used to be) spread over large parts of Australia , the greater nasal purse is also the only Australian nasal purse to live in southern New Guinea . They inhabit a range of habitats, including open forests, bushy savannahs and grasslands near swamps or bodies of water, but avoid the dry interior of the continent. They are nocturnal; during the day they sleep in self-made nests made of twigs, grass and leaves, which they build on the ground, often in caves or hollow tree trunks. At night they go in search of food, where they build trails in the tall grass or in the bushes. They are not picky about their food intake, they eat insects, worms, fruits, seeds and mushrooms.
Kurznasenbeutler are downright loners who react aggressively to other species. They live in a territory from one to six hectares in size, which they mark with scent glands and defend vehemently.
Reproduction
The females have a well-developed, rear-opening pouch with eight teats. In warmer regions they can give birth all year round, in the cooler south of Australia only between May and February. The female can give birth several times a year (two to five times), the gestation period is one of the shortest of all mammals at twelve days. The litter size is on average two to four, sometimes up to seven young animals are born, of which mostly only four survive. The young remain in the pouch for seven to eight weeks, are weaned at eight to ten weeks and are sexually mature at four months. Life expectancy is short and is two to three years, in exceptional cases up to four years.
threat
The main threats to the Kurznosbeutler are the loss of their habitat through conversion to cattle pastures as well as the stalking by introduced predators such as foxes or cats . Their areas of distribution are fragmented and represent only a small part of the former extent.
The species
- The Large short-nosed bandicoot ( Isoodon macrourus ) is the largest and most widely used type. It reaches a body length from 30 to 47 centimeters and weigh up to 3.1 kilograms. Its fur is light brown and often has black patterns. It inhabits the northern and eastern coastal regions of Australia (from northern Western Australia to eastern New South Wales ) and also lives in southern New Guinea . Scent glands on the ear, mouth, pouch and cloaca serve to mark the territory.
- The small Kurznasenbeutler ( Isoodon obesulus ) is slightly smaller with a head body length of 28 to 36 centimeters and a weight of 0.4 to 1.8 kilograms. Its distribution area is divided into two parts, on the one hand it lives in southeastern South Australia , in southeastern New South Wales , in Victoria and Tasmania , on the other hand on the Cape York Peninsula . Its fur is brownish, often with orange-yellow flecks. Since the arrival of the Europeans, the species has lost 50 to 90 percent of its range, which is now very fragmented. The animals of the Cape York Peninsula, mostly classified as a subspecies, are sometimes listed as a separate species ( Isoodon peninsulae ).
- Isoodon fusciventer was until recently a subspecies of the small short-nosed butler , but has been listed as an independent species since 2018. He lives in southwestern Western Australia .
- The golden short-nosed pouch ( Isoodon auratus ) is the smallest and rarest species and is characterized by its yellowish fur. It reaches a head body length of 21 to 30 centimeters and a weight of 0.3 to 0.7 kilograms. In the past, the species was widespread in large parts of western and southern Australia, today it only occurs in the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia and on several islands off the Australian coast. The IUCN lists them as "endangered" ( vulnerable ). Feral domestic cats in particular have reduced populations significantly.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Search for "Isoodon" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
supporting documents
- ↑ Kenny Travouillon & Matthew J. Phillips, 2018. Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of bandicoots and bilbies (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia): reassessment of two species and description of a new species . Zootaxa 4378 (2), 224-256.
- ↑ Felis catus . In: Database of the "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species" of the "Invasive Species Specialist Group" of the IUCN, accessed on May 30, 201.