Sleepbaggers
| Sleepbaggers | ||||||||||||
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Thick-tailed sleeper (here under the synonym Dromicia glirifomis ), drawing by John Gould , 1863 |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cercartetus | ||||||||||||
| Gloger , 1841 |
The cercartetus ( Cercartetus ) are a marsupial genus with five species of the family of pygmy possum (Burramyidae). The animals got their name from the fact that they are one of the few marsupials that hibernate and are reminiscent of the dormouse from their body shape .
description
Sleepers reach a head body length of 7 to 12 centimeters and a weight of 15 to 40 grams. The tail is only sparsely hairy except for the base of the tail and is of the same length or longer than the body. Their fur is reddish brown or grayish in color on the upper side, the underside is lighter. The ears are large and hairless, the first toe of the hind paws can be opposed .
Distribution and way of life
Sleep sacs are common in parts of southern and eastern Australia, as well as New Guinea and the Cape York Peninsula . Their habitat are forest and heathland areas, where they lead an exclusively nocturnal life. During the day they sleep in self-made nests made of leaves and bark, which they often build in hollow tree trunks or dense vegetation. At night they go in search of food, often climbing in the trees. Their dexterous hands and grasping tail make them good climbers. Usually they live solitary. Sleepbaggers are omnivores that eat leaves, fruits, nuts, insects, spiders, scorpions and small vertebrates. In the cold season they go into hibernation, for which they build up a reserve of fat in their tail.
The female gives birth to four to six young animals up to twice a year. These spend their first month of life in their mother's pouch, are weaned at around three months and sexually mature at around a year old. Life expectancy is four years in the wild, up to six years in human care.
threat
All species of sleeping baggers are relatively common; none are on the endangered species list.
The species
- The long-tailed sleepbuck ( Cercartetus caudatus ) lives in rainforests in New Guinea and on the Cape York Peninsula in northeast Australia. It is characterized by a red-brown fur with a white underside.
- The thin-tailed sleeping bag ( Cercartetus concinnus ) is common in all of southern Australia (from Western Australia to New South Wales ).
- The dwarf bilchbeutler ( Cercartetus lepidus ) was only known from Tasmania until the 1960s , since then populations have also been discovered in South Australia and Victoria . It is the smallest of the four species and is brown-gray to gray in color.
- The thick-tailed sleeping bag ( Cercartetus nanus ) is widespread from southeastern South Australia to southern Queensland . It hibernates for up to 35 days, with fat storage in the tail being particularly pronounced in this species. In laboratory tests, Australian researchers observed the longest hibernation in animals of Cercartetus nanus with 367 days.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ journal Naturwissenschaften: Yearlong hibernation in a marsupial mammal , Nov. 2007