Particle 101: Dunnarts

On a frosty godforsaken greeting successful nan dunnart den, a small dunnart nestles up to a humble location rodent for warmth. 

But this rodent should slumber pinch 1 oculus unfastened – travel summertime, this mousey morsel mightiness go dunnart dinner.

Although they often nest together pinch mice, dunnarts are marsupials and portion of nan carnivorous Dasyuridae family, which includes quolls and Tasmanian devils.

Australia is location to 19 dunnart species.  

No bigger than nan thenar of your hand, they are mini but mighty predators. They person agelong pointed snouts, large ears and crisp teeth. All nan amended for eating mice with, my dear.

Caption: Evolutionary character of nan Dasyuromorphia order
Credit: Kelly Hopkinson (not to beryllium reproduced elsewhere)

Quick connected their toes and moreover quicker astatine night, dunnarts are nocturnal and person a earthy group of nighttime imagination goggles. 

Their big achromatic eyes tin observe red to ultraviolet light – beyond what humans spot – meaning they tin hunt during nan time and night.

SURVIVAL OF THE SMALLEST

Dunnarts are adaptable creatures and tin beryllium recovered successful unfastened woodlands, godforsaken grasslands and anyplace successful between.

To past successful these harsh environments, they support a secret stash of fat successful their tails, akin to a camel’s hump. 

When nutrient is plentiful, their tails swell up into a captious power slope they trust connected erstwhile nutrient is scarce. 

Caption: Dunnart tails enactment arsenic a fatty power root and tin swell up into a carrot shape
Credit: Connor Margetts CC BY 4.0

POWER NAP PROS

Deep slumber is simply a survival skill for dunnarts.

When it’s acold aliases nutrient is scarce, dunnarts tin participate torpor – a mini hibernation – by slowing their bosom complaint and lowering their assemblage somesthesia by up to 20°C.

This powerfulness nap tin past for up to 10 hours, slashing their power needs. Some mothers moreover do this pinch a pouch afloat of joeys!

MATING MADNESS

Dunnarts unrecorded accelerated and dice young – literally.

During nan breeding play erstwhile nan making love excavation is rich, antheral dunnarts will relentlessly prosecute aggregate females and sometimes moreover mate themselves to death.

Destined for life arsenic a azygous parent, female dunnarts are strong, independent mothers who do it all.

Outliving their antheral counterparts, they tin raise up to 10 joeys astatine a clip – and often negociate 2 litters a year. 

The world grounds for shortest gestation play goes to nan stripe-faced dunnart, speeding done a gestation successful conscionable 11 days.

Dunnart young are altricial, meaning they commencement retired arsenic underdeveloped jellybeans, nary bigger than a atom of rice.

They stay successful nan pouch for a fewer months until they are promoted to nan piggyback shape and tin task disconnected into nan big, wide world.

This fast-tracked reproduction helps maximise endurance successful a boom and bust environment.

Caption: Piggyback preschool – a fat-tailed dunnart mother carrying her babies astir connected her back
Credit: Ian R McCann, Museums Victoria CC BY 4.0

​​DUNN DEAL

After enduring blistering power and scorching deserts and being nan housemate from hellhole for unsuspecting mice, dunnarts whitethorn look unstoppable.

Despite their resilience, they look relentless threats from bushfires, residence clearing and predation by feral cats. 

Caption: The critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart
Credit: Kangaroo Island Landscape Board CC BY 3.0

The Kangaroo Island dunnart is 1 of Australia’s astir critically endangered mammals, and different type aren’t acold behind.

Tiny but tenacious, these marsupials punch good supra their weight successful Australian ecosystems, and ongoing conservation efforts are cardinal to keeping it that way.