Alexandria false antechinus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexandria false antechinus |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pseudantechinus
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| Species: |
mimulus
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| Alexandria false antechinus range | |
The Alexandria false antechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus) is a small, meat-eating marsupial. It's also called the Carpentarian false antechinus. This tiny animal lives in only a few small, separate places in northern Australia. It is the smallest and most rare of all the false antechinuses.
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What's in a Name?
The scientific name for this animal is Pseudantechinus mimulus. Its common names are the Alexandria false antechinus and the Carpentarian false antechinus.
Scientists sometimes got this animal mixed up with the fat-tailed false antechinus (P. macdonnellensis). This confusion started when Oldfield Thomas first described it in 1906. Later, in 1971, W.D.L. Ride said it was the same as the fat-tailed false antechinus. But in 1991, D.J. Kitchener confirmed it was its own species again.
Its scientific name, mimulus, means "little mimic of false-antechinus".
About This Tiny Marsupial
The Alexandria false antechinus is part of the dasyurid family. This family includes many meat-eating marsupials. It is closely related to other types of false antechinus.
This species is currently classified as endangered. This means it is at high risk of disappearing forever. Its numbers are dropping because its home is getting smaller and less healthy. This is due to things like fires, animals brought in by people (like cats), and mining activities.
What Does It Look Like?
The Alexandria false antechinus has a buff brown colour on its back. Its belly is a greyish white. The main way to tell it apart from other false antechinuses is its small size. Scientists don't know much about how this species behaves in the wild.
Where Does It Live?
This species is found in only a few places in Australia. These include areas near Mount Isa in northwestern Queensland. It also lives at Alexandria Station in the Northern Territory.
You can also find them on three small islands in the Sir Edward Pellew Group. These islands are in the north-east of the Northern Territory. In 2009, it was also seen at the Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary in the Northern Territory.
This animal likes to live on stony hillsides. These areas usually have some trees and spinifex grass. The Alexandria false antechinus is only found in Australia.
In 1988, scientists found the species on the Centre and South West Islands. But in a 2003 survey, they couldn't find them there. It's thought that they might still live in that area, but it needs to be confirmed.
Why Is It Endangered?
The Alexandria false antechinus lives in a very small area. Because of this, the IUCN has listed it as an endangered animal.
On the offshore islands where it lives, it is fairly common. However, on the mainland, it is very rare. It had not been seen on the mainland since 1905 until recently.
What Does It Eat?
Scientists don't know a lot about what the Alexandria false antechinus eats. But they believe it mainly eats small spineless creatures, like insects. It might also eat some very small vertebrates (animals with backbones).
See also
In Spanish: Falso antequino de Carpentaria para niños
