Ningauis
| Ningauis | ||||||||||||
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Southern Ningaui ( Ningaui yvonneae ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ningaui | ||||||||||||
| Archer , 1975 |
The Ningauis ( Ningaui ) are a genus of small, mouse-like bag mammals from the family of predatory mammals (Dasyuridae). These animals inhabit arid regions in Australia and were not scientifically described until the 1970s.
With a head body length of 46 to 57 millimeters and a weight of 2 to 13 grams, Ningauis are the smallest marsupials of all. Their body is similar to a mouse, their long fur is brown or black on the upper side, and the underside is yellow. The tail is longer than the body and lightly haired evenly.
Little is known about the way these animals live. Their habitat are grasslands, savannas and semi-deserts. They are nocturnal and spend the day in caves in the ground or hollow tree trunks or hidden in the thorn. When the temperature is cooler or when there is a lack of food, they can briefly lapse into a torpor (cold rigor) in order to save energy. Their diet consists of insects and other invertebrates.
Females have six or seven teats and a simple pouch. After a gestation period of 13 to 21 days, up to seven young animals are born. They spend their first six weeks in their mother's pouch, after another six weeks they become independent. The oldest age of an animal in captivity was 2.5 years, in the wild only a few animals are likely to live long enough to reproduce a second time.
There are three types of Ningauis:
- The Pilbara Ningaui ( Ningaui timealeyi ) is the smallest species. It inhabits the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia .
- The southern Ningaui ( Ningaui yvonneae ) is common in the south of Australia (from southern Western Australia to New South Wales and Victoria ).
- The Wongai-Ningaui ( Ningaui ridei ) is native to the western part of the interior of Australia.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
