False antechinus facts for kids
False antechinuses are small, furry animals that look a bit like mice or shrews. They are actually a type of marsupial, which means they carry their babies in a pouch, just like kangaroos! These interesting creatures live in Australia.
Quick facts for kids False antechinuses |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Subfamily: | Dasyurinae |
| Tribe: | Dasyurini |
| Genus: | Pseudantechinus Tate, 1947 |
| Type species | |
| Phascogale macdonnellensis Spencer, 1896
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| Species | |
The animals known as Pseudantechinus are part of a group called Dasyuromorphia. This group includes many meat-eating marsupials. People often call them "false antechinuses." One animal in this group, the sandstone dibbler, used to be in a different family.
There are several types of false antechinuses:
- Sandstone dibbler, Pseudantechinus bilarni
- Fat-tailed false antechinus, Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis
- Alexandria false antechinus, Pseudantechinus mimulus
- Ningbing false antechinus, Pseudantechinus ningbing
- Rory Cooper's false antechinus, Pseudantechinus roryi
- Woolley's false antechinus, Pseudantechinus woolleyae
Contents
Meet the Fat-tailed False Antechinus
What's in a Name?
The scientific name for this animal is Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis. Its common names are the Fat-tailed Antechinus or Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus.
Where Do They Live?
You can find the Fat-tailed False Antechinus in the rocky areas of Central Australia. They love places with lots of rocks to hide in.
Quick Facts About Them
This antechinus is a medium-sized marsupial. It usually weighs between 18 and 33 grams, which is about as much as a few coins. They can live for about seven years. Scientists believe there are many of them, and they often live in protected areas. This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing.
What Do They Eat?
The Fat-tailed False Antechinus mainly eats insects. Their diet includes beetles, grasshoppers, and termites. A cool thing about them is that they can store fat in their tails when there's plenty of food. This stored fat helps them survive when food is scarce.
Saving Energy with Torpor
In winter, many Fat-tailed False Antechinuses go into a special deep sleep called torpor. They do this after midnight in rock crevices. They stay in this sleepy state until morning.
When the sun comes up, they move from their hiding spots to sunny places. They warm up by basking in the sun for the rest of the day. This daily torpor helps them save about 30% of their energy. It allows them to live and have babies even in tough environments. They can go into torpor in very cold or very hot weather, especially when they are low on energy.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Both male and female Fat-tailed False Antechinuses are ready to have babies when they are about 350 days old. A female carries her babies for about 43 days. She usually gives birth to one litter of about six babies. They have babies about once every 365 days.
Meet the Alexandria False Antechinus
What's in a Name?
The scientific name for this species is Pseudantechinus mimulus. People also call it the Alexandria False Antechinus or Carpentaria Pseudantechinus.
Where Do They Live?
The Alexandria False Antechinus lives only in Australia. You can find them in the Sir Edward Pellew Group in the Northern Territory. They also live on Centre and Southwest Islands, and in two spots near Queensland.
In 1988, they were seen on the Centre and South West Islands. But in 2003, they weren't found there. Scientists think they might still be there, but it needs to be confirmed. They like rocky areas with scattered trees and wood.
Why Are They in Danger?
Sadly, the Alexandria False Antechinus is an endangered species. This means their numbers are shrinking. Their homes are being damaged by fires, and new animals brought to Australia (like cats or foxes) hunt them. Mining also harms their habitat.
What Do They Eat?
Scientists don't know everything about what the Alexandria False Antechinus eats. But they believe these animals mostly eat small creatures without backbones, like insects. They might also eat some small animals with backbones.
- Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
See also
In Spanish: Falsos antequinos para niños
