Red-cheeked dunnart
- The red-cheeked dunnart has no fat deposits in its tail, unlike other members of the genus. The tail is narrow and rarely covered with fur.
- The red-cheeked dunnart lives up to 5.3 years in captivity, but no more than 1.3 years in the wild. Offspring usually wean from their mother's breast after about 80 days.
- The red-cheeked dunnart can give birth twice a year, with 8 offspring per litter. Its pregnancy lasts about 15 days.
- Backward-opening pouch, usually 6–8 young.
- Nocturnal, feeds on insects and small vertebrates.
- The red-cheeked dunnart is a small carnivorous marsupial of northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
- Local names include “red-face”.
- Body length 6–9 cm.
- Characteristic reddish cheek patches.
- Status Least Concern.
Age
The red-cheeked dunnart typically lives from 4 years to 6 years and 8 months, with a maximum lifespan of 5 years and 4 months; the theoretical lifespan ranges from 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 7 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 7 months and 3 weeks and 9 months old. During the embryonic stage, the embryo develops inside the mother for a very short time before birth. The young spend from 1 week and 6 days to 2 months and 2 weeks in the mother’s pouch, where they feed on milk and grow rapidly. An adult red-cheeked dunnart is capable of hunting independently and producing offspring, with this stage lasting from 2 months and 3 weeks to 4 years.
Phenotype
The red-cheeked dunnart has a compact body covered in short fur. The species exhibits bright red patches on its cheeks. The adult’s body is covered with short fur, and it possesses a thin tail that aids in maintaining balance.
Physiology
Red-cheeked dunnarts measure from 7 to 10 centimeters in body length and from 17.8 centimeters to 4.5 meters in height; their mass ranges from 70.6 to 73.4 grams. The embryonic stage involves individuals with a body length of from 0 to 1 millimeter and a body mass of 0 grams, while the juvenile stage consists of young with a body mass of from 0 to 5 grams and a body length of from 5 millimeters to 4 centimeters. Adult red-cheeked dunnarts have a body mass of from 11 to 25 grams and a body length of from 7 to 10 centimeters.
Habitat
The red-cheeked dunnart inhabits elevations up to 600 meters above sea level and occupies terrestrial landscapes including highlands and tundra, deserts and semi-deserts. The species is found in tropical savanna biomes characterized by hot temperatures and uneven rainfall with abundant grass and trees. The climate varies, with little precipitation in winter and more in summer, or being consistently very hot throughout the year with frequent rains but occasional dryness. Large amounts of rain occur in summer, while almost no precipitation falls in winter; a warm summer accompanied by plentiful rain is also typical.
Shelter
The red-cheeked dunnart shelters in dense grass or beneath fallen trees, utilizing nests as its dwelling. These nests are structures built or used by the species for laying eggs and raising young. The nest’s construction materials include grass. The purpose of the nest serves protection, reproduction, and rest.
Geography
The red-cheeked dunnart is found within the biogeographical region of Australasia.
Feeding
The red-cheeked dunnart is an insectivore that feeds on insects and other small animals, locating prey at night using its good hearing and vision through nocturnal hunting; the species employs an active foraging strategy to search for and capture food, consuming between 5 grams and 20 grams of food daily. Its diet includes insects, spiders, small lizards, and small reptiles, specifically beetles, flies, moths, mayflies, crayfish, ribbon worms, snails, leeches, bedbugs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and caddisflies. The young are fed milk.
Reproduction
The red-cheeked dunnart is a terrestrial species that inhabits and develops on land, away from bodies of water, and the young develop in the mother’s pouch or mouth on land. Embryonic development lasts 2 weeks and 1 day, and the female carries the offspring in her pouch or mouth. A litter has 2 to 10 young, which are very small and move to the pouch where they grow on milk. Litters range from 6 to 10 individuals. The species reaches maturity from 6 to 9 months. Reproduction is always with fertilization and without generation change; it is homogamy. The reproductive interval ranges from 3 months to 1 year. Eggs or young develop in a nest built on or close to the ground, which can be located directly on the surface of the ground or hidden in an underground burrow.