|
Antechinus agilis, trapped during a uni field trip.
Photograph copyright: Mel Williams - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
|
Agile Antechinus (Antechinus agilis)
Image by Michael Sale - Some rights reserved. (view image details)
|
|
|
AGILE ANTECHINUS FACTS |
Description
The Agile Antechinus is a small carnivorous marsupial of the Dasyurid family. It is greyish brown above and pale below. It has hairy thin tail. It is very similar to the Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), and used to be considered to be the same species.
Size
head and body 8-14cm. Tail 9cm
Habitat
Forests in the southeastern corner of Australia. Prefers areas with dense ground cover and hiding places such as fallen logs.
Food
insects, spiders and other small invertebrates
Breeding
6-8 young are born after one month gestation. The female has no pouch, and when mum moves, the young are dragged along the ground attached to the nipples. After about 5 weeks the young are left in a nest in a hollow rock or crack in rock while mother feeds. Some females have 6 nipples and some have 8 - this determines the maximum number of young that can survive.
Range
south east Queensland to Victoria
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Notes
All the Antichinus males die just before they reach a year old at the end of the annual mating season.
Classification
| Class: | Mammalia | | Order: | Dasyuromorphia | | Family: | Dasyuridae | | Genus: | Antechinus | | Species: | agilis | | Common Name: | Agile Antechinus |
Relatives in same Genus
Fawn Antechinus (A. bellus)
Yellow-footed Antechinus (A. flavipes)
Brown Antechinus (A. stuartii)
Dusky Antechinus (A. swainsonii)
|
|
