Cinnamon broad-footed pouch mouse
| Cinnamon broad-footed pouch mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Antechinus leo | ||||||||||||
| Van Dyck , 1980 |
The cinnamon broad-footed pouch mouse ( Antechinus leo ) is a crepuscular or nocturnal marsupial from the predator family . This species was first described by Steve van Dyck in 1980 ; the first detailed ecological study was carried out in 1999. Along with A. godmani , it is the rarest representative of the genus of the broad-footed pouch mouse .
Appearance
The common name refers to the uniform cinnamon brown color of the fur. In contrast to the yellow-footed pouch mouse ( A. flavipes ), with which this species has often been confused, there are no light circles around the eyes of the cinnamon broad -footed pouch mouse. A feature of this species is the unusual shape of the auricle.
The cinnamon pouch-footed mouse shows a clear sexual dimorphism . Males with a head-torso length of 111 to 155 millimeters are not only slightly larger than the females (head-torso length 95 to 136 millimeters), they are also twice as heavy as the females with a weight of 45 to 100 grams who only reach 30 to 48 grams of body weight.
Distribution and habitat
The cinnamon Breitfußbeutelmaus is on the Cape York Peninsula ( Queensland , Australia ) endemic . There this species occurs only on a narrow coastal strip between the Iron Range and the McIlwraith Range , which corresponds to a north-south extension of the distribution area of only 150 kilometers.
The forests inhabited by this semi-arboreal species are surrounded by floods for a large part of the year. During this time, tree hollows offer protection from the flooding. The occurrence of the cinnamon broad-footed pouch mouse is correlated with the occurrence of climbing rattan palms ( Calamus muelleri ) and tropical lianas .
Activity and food
The activity time of the cinnamon broad-footed pouch mouse is usually at dusk and at night. Nevertheless, day hours can also be used at least during the reproductive period. The fact that activity is particularly evident during the dark is mainly due to the avoidance of diurnal predators , such as the mangrove crow shrike ( Cracticus quoyi ) or the white- browed hawk ( Accipiter novaehollandiae ). Furthermore, the availability of prey is increased during the night - the cinnamon pouch-footed mouse feeds mainly on ants , beetles , caterpillars, centipedes , cockroaches , crickets , arachnids and occasionally annelids . This species looks for prey in the leaf litter on the floor of the forest and also in the canopy of the trees.
Reproduction
As with other broad-footed pouch mice , reproduction follows a general pattern that is characterized by the synchronized death of the males shortly after mating. Mating takes place once a year between mid-September and mid-October. The first young animals are born at the beginning of November and are carried in the belly fold until the beginning / middle of December. These processes are strongly correlated with the rainy season and thus with the food supply. The largest litter observed comprised 10 pups, which also corresponds to the number of mammae of the females. In the first litter, females give birth to an average of 9.6 pups; if they are mated again in the following year, the litter size is significantly smaller with an average of 6.0 pups. While female offspring stay close to the mother animal, male offspring migrate shortly after leaving the nest, which is most likely to prevent inbreeding.
literature
- Leung, LK-P. Ecology of Australian tropical rainforest mammals. I. The Cape York antechinus, Antechinus leo (Dasyuridae: Marsupialia) Wildlife Research 26 (3) 287-306 .
- Van Dyck, SM in: Strahan, R. 1991 The complete book of Australian mammals ISBN 0207144540 (page 50)
Web link
- Antechinus leo inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Burnett, S. & Winter, J., 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2013.