| Narrow-nosed planigale [1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Genus: | Planigale |
| Species: | P. tenuirostris |
| Binomial name | |
| Planigale tenuirostris Troughton, 1928 | |
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| Narrow-nosed planigale range | |
The narrow-nosed planigale (Planigale tenuirostris) is a species of very small marsupial carnivore of the family Dasyuridae.
The narrow-nosed planigale was described by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton in 1928, separating it from the common planigale (P. maculata) with which it had previously been associated. The scientific name for the species means "slender-snouted flat-weasel". [3]
Planigales are small rodent-like marsupials no greater than 7.5 cm, and weighing less than 10 g. [4] The narrow-nosed planigale differs from other planigales in its more rufous colouring and smaller size – only the long-tailed planigale is smaller. It is an active hunter of various invertebrates, [5] and is known as a fearless and pugnacious predator. [3] Its flattened head is used as a wedge to prize apart grass stems and turn over leaves in the leaf litter. It will often attack prey larger than itself.
The narrow-nosed Planigale are generalist insectivores, able to thrive and with a diet that reflects the available prey of their environment. [6] Their diet mostly consists of arthropods including beetles, centipedes and spiders, but can also include reptiles such as small lizards.
The narrow-nosed Planigale prefers an open less densely vegetated area (Read, 1987). [6] They can often be found in tussock grassland and low shrubland with cracking clay soils so as to inhabit the soil cavities. (Moss, 1988) [7] Plant height has also been recorded as positively associated with an abundance of P. tenuirostrist. [6]
Unlike other Planigale species, the narrow-nosed Planigale is nocturnal in both summer and winter (Read, 1989) [8] spending only minimal bursts of activity. Research has recorded past short-term activity cycles as 1 hr 25 min in summer and 2 hr 56 min in winter (Read, 1989) [8] Narrow-nosed Planigale surface from the cracks to hunt during the night or stay within these cracks clinging to the vertical sides. [4]
Breeding season runs from July to Mid-January and coincides with food availability during Spring & Summer (Read, 1984). Females have 12 teats and a pouch. Females reach their sexual maturity (for reproduction) on average at 240 days. Females are only in heat (Estrus) for one day, on a 33-day cycle (Read, 1985). In males, the process of sperm production (spermatogenesis) begins in July and ends the following March(aspermatogenesis). The average gestation period lasts just 19 days. The young detach from the teats at a month after birth and mothers begin weaning the young at three months (Read, 1985) [9] In captivity females give birth to two litters with an average of six young annually, [10] but in the wild it is more likely only a single litter will be produced (Read 2008). [11]
Population densities tend to fluctuate from year to year, however, despite some declines in distribution, this species appears stable. [4]
There appear to be no major or widespread threats to the narrow-nosed Planigale species. Localised threats and population declines occur in the form of habitat conversion or destruction, particularly for agricultural use. [2]
As a result of its habitat (below ground) and hunting habits (within soil cracks), it is protected from most larger predatory species (Moss, 1988).
Research has postulated that fluctuations in rainfall affect the populations of Planigale gilesi and P. tenuirostris (Read, 1988), [7] however little other research has been done into this to confirm whether it is rainfall alone, or the byproduct effect on resources.
The narrow-nosed planigale is found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory in a wide range of inland habitats. [5] It prefers areas with cracked clay soil.
The numbat, also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.
The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 69 extant species divided into 21 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, underground, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic. The Dasyuridae are often called the 'marsupial carnivores', as most members of the family are insectivores.
The long-tailed planigale, also known as Ingram's planigale or the northern planigale, is the smallest of all marsupials, and one of the smallest of all mammals. It is rarely seen but is a quite common inhabitant of the blacksoil plains, clay-soiled woodlands, and seasonally flooded grasslands of Australia's Top End.
The former subfamily Planigalinae contained the planigales and the ningauis: very small marsupial carnivores native to Australia which are, like the quolls, antechinuses, dibblers, Tasmanian devil, and many others, part of the biological order Dasyuromorphia: the carnivorous marsupials. The subfamily is now contained in the Sminthopsinae subfamily, and the two genera are split between two different tribes; the planigales are by themselves in their own tribe, while the ningaui are lumped with the dunnarts and the Kultarr.
The common planigale, also known as the pygmy planigale or the coastal planigale, is one of many small marsupial carnivores known as "marsupial mice" found in Australia. There they fill a similar niche to the insectivores of other parts of the world.
The northern quoll, also known as the northern native cat, the North Australian native cat or the satanellus is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia.
The Wongai ningaui is a tiny carnivorous marsupial native to the arid open grasslands of inland Australia. Their diet is mainly small insects, and occasionally larger prey such as spiders, grasshopperss and cockroaches, which they forage for at the ground and in clumps of spinifex. They have long and untidy fur, grey or gingery brown with longer black hairs, small ears, a narrow muzzle, and possess a partially prehensile tail and feet that allow them to climb. The population occurs sparsely across a wide area and common in favourable habitat, especially in years of good rainfall. Ningaui ridei was first described in 1975, one of two species of a new genus discovered amongst the poorly known mammals of the western regions of Australia.
Antechinus is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews.
The long-nosed potoroo is a small, hopping, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it lives alone and digs at night for fungi, roots, or small insects. It is also a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. The long-nosed potoroo is threatened by habitat loss and introduced species such as cats or foxes. There are two subspecies: P. t. tridactylus on mainland Australia, and P. t. apicalis on Tasmania, with lighter fur.
The kultarr is a small insectivorous nocturnal marsupial inhabiting the arid interior of Australia. Preferred habitat includes stony deserts, shrubland, woodland, grassland and open plains. The kultarr has a range of adaptations to help cope with Australia's harsh arid environment including torpor similar to hibernation that helps conserve energy. The species has declined across its former range since European settlement due to changes in land management practices and introduced predators.
The subfamily Sminthopsinae includes several genera of small, carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: kultarrs, ningauis, dunnarts, and planigales.
The marsupial family Peramelidae contains all of the extant bandicoots. They are found throughout Australia and New Guinea, with at least some species living in every available habitat, from rainforest to desert. Four fossil peramelids are described. One known extinct species of bandicoot, the pig-footed bandicoot, was so different from the other species, it was recently moved into its own family.
The striped-faced dunnart is a small, Australian, nocturnal, "marsupial mouse," part of the family Dasyuridae. The species' distribution occurs throughout much of inland central and northern Australia, occupying a range of arid and semi-arid habitats.
The brown antechinus, also known as Stuart's antechinus and Macleay's marsupial mouse, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. The males die after their first breeding season, and the species holds the world record for being the world's smallest semelparous mammal.
The southern ningaui is a tiny marsupial carnivore belonging to the Dasyuridae family. Similar in appearance to Ningaui ridei, found throughout central Australia, this species occurs in spinifex on semi-arid sandplains across the southern coast of the continent. The fur is a tawny or greyish olive colour, light grey below, and distinguished by shades of cinnamon. The southern ningaui prefers smaller prey, including insects and spiders, but capable of killing and consuming larger animals such as cockroaches and skinks. Their narrow muzzle is used with quick and fierce bites about the head to despatch their meal. The species was first described in 1983, and placed within the genus Ningaui.
Ningaui is a genus of small species of the marsupial dasyurid family. Along with the planigales, they are among the smallest marsupials.
The paucident planigale, also known as Giles' planigale, is a very small species of carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae.
The genus Planigale are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae. There are five species:
The western pygmy possum, also known as the southwestern pygmy possum or the mundarda, is a small marsupial found in Australia. Genetic studies indicate its closest relative is probably the eastern pygmy possum, from which its ancestors diverged around eight million years ago.
The crest-tailed mulgara, is a small to medium-sized Australian carnivorous marsupial and a member of the family Dasyuridae which includes quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, Tasmanian devil and extinct thylacine. The crest-tailed mulgara is among a group of native predatory mammals or mesopredators endemic to arid Australia.
