Mammals · Dasyuromorphia · Dasyuridae

Fat-tailed Dunnart

Sminthopsis crassicaudata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The fat-tailed dunnart is a tiny carnivorous marsupial of the arid Australian interior, the size of a mouse but with the dentition of a predator. It stores fat in its tail, which thickens noticeably in times of plenty and thins when food is scarce. It hunts insects, spiders and small vertebrates. In cold weather or lean times it enters daily torpor, lowering its body temperature for several hours each day.

Weight

10 g – 20 g

Size

6 cm – 9 cm

Lifespan

3 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertGrasslandInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Desert Grassland Mammal

1countries 9parks5same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt stores fat in its tail and goes into daily torpor to save energy.
Its tail works as a larder: it swells until it looks like a carrot when food is plentiful and is used up during lean spells, a reserve visible at a glance.
It enters torpor almost every day in winter: it drops its body temperature for a few hours before dawn and starts up again with the sun, saving an enormous share of its energy budget.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Arid grassland, saltbush scrub and farmland of inland Australia
Sexual maturity: 3.8 months
Gestation / incubation: 14 days
Litter / clutch size: 7

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/