Sooty dunnart
- Nocturnal, feeds on insects.
- Known from very few specimens.
- The sooty dunnart is a poorly known carnivorous marsupial of south-western Australia.
- In captivity about 1–2 years.
- Inhabits eucalypt forests.
- Colour greyish-brown.
- Taxonomic status clarified recently.
- Body length about 9 cm.
- Formerly regarded as a subspecies of the common dunnart.
- Status Least Concern, data scarce.
Age
Sooty dunnarts typically live for 1 to 3 years, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 4 years and 5 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 5 months and 3 weeks and 9 months and 2 weeks of age. During the "Embryo" stage, the embryo develops inside the mother for a very short time, followed by the "Young in Pouch" stage where the young are attached to a nipple and grow rapidly for 1 to 2 months and 3 weeks. The subsequent "Rapid Growth Juvenile" stage lasts from 2 to 4 months, during which the animal learns to hunt independently. The "Adult" stage, lasting from 10 months to 2 years and 2 months, allows the sooty dunnart to reproduce and live independently.
Phenotype
The sooty dunnart embryo is tiny, hairless, and has undeveloped limbs. The young initially have bare skin, which later develops into dark fur, and their bodies are covered with dark fur after a period of rapid growth. The species has large ears for locating prey by sound as juveniles, and adults possess large ears to detect insect sounds in the dark. An adult sooty dunnart is characterized by dense, sooty-black fur for camouflage in shadow, a long tail that aids in maintaining balance during swift movements, sharp teeth for capturing and consuming prey, and long sensitive whiskers that help with nocturnal orientation.
Physiology
Sooty dunnarts measure in body length from 7 to 9 centimeters and weigh from 12 to 25 grams. The species exhibits several developmental stages, beginning with the "embryo" stage, where individuals have a body mass of 0 grams and a body length of from 4 to 6 millimeters. During the “juvenile” stage, the young have a body mass ranging from 0 to 7 grams and a body length of from 5 millimeters to 3.5 centimeters. The "rapid growth juvenile" stage is characterized by a body mass of from 6 to 13 grams and a body length of from 5 to 7 centimeters. Adult sooty dunnarts have a body mass of from 12 to 25 grams and a body length of from 7 to 9 centimeters.
Habitat
The sooty dunnart inhabits elevations up to 400 meters above sea level and occupies biomes including Mediterranean forests with hot, dry summers and warm, rainy winters. The species is found in terrestrial habitats such as land forests, scrubland, heathland, sandy plains, and steppe environments characterized by abundant grass and few trees where rainfall is infrequent. The climate is very dry with rare rainfall, almost desert-like, and summers are nearly rainless while winter receives more precipitation. Summers are warm with little to no rain, and winters are not very cold.
Shelter
Sooty dunnarts live in burrows, under rocks, or fallen trees, utilizing nests constructed from grass and bark for breeding, resting, and protection from the sun; these nests serve as structures built or used for laying eggs and raising young.
Geography
Sooty dunnarts inhabit the biogeographical realms of Australasia and the Palearctic. The species is found in mixed mountain forests of the Pindus range, sclerophyllous and mixed Mediterranean forests of southwestern Iberia, sclerophyllous and mixed forests of the Tyrrheno-Adriatic region, and sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests of Italy.
Feeding
The sooty dunnart is an active hunter that forages and captures food at night, primarily by scent and sound. The species’ diet consists of insects, spiders, centipedes, small lizards, millipedes, small reptiles, and other small animals. Specific prey includes beetles, flies, moths, mayflies, isopods, ribbon worms, snails, leeches, bedbugs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and caddisflies. The sooty dunnart hunts on land and consumes between 5 grams and 18 grams of food daily.
Reproduction
Embryonic development is 1 month. Litter size is 1–10. Maturity occurs from 5 months to 7 months 1 week. Offspring is 6–10—The female gives birth to very small offspring after a short pregnancy. They grow in a pouch on her abdomen for about two months. The breeding interval is from 1 year to 1 year 1 month. Habitat—they live and develop on land, outside of water bodies. In the pouch or mouth—offspring develop in the pouch or mouth of the parent on land. At the mother—the child is carried by the mother in a pouch or mouth on land. In a terrestrial nest—eggs or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it. The nest is hidden in an underground burrow.