Meet 5 of Australia’s tiniest mammals

November 5, 2023 6:24 PM

Meet 5 of Australia’s tiniest mammals. One mammal, the long-tailed planigale, can weigh less than a 10-cent coin. But it’s ferocious, bringing down far larger prey with persistent, savage biting to the head and neck.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (10 comments total)

I went to the article but didn't find an answer to my question: does planigale rhyme with pail or with tamale?

Also, there should be some kind of Australian adventure movie where someone gets one of these on them early in the movie but then later dies unexpectedly because it had been gnawing on them for the past while.

I know it's stupid, but it makes my brain happy in an Eighties Action Film kind of way.
posted by hippybear at 7:06 PM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

super cute and fascinating, ty. this is... something:

The 15 species in the genus Antechinus are “suicidal reproducers”. All males drop dead at the end of the breeding season, poisoned by their own raging hormones...systemic organ failure and the inevitable death of every male.

But this happens only after they’ve unloaded their precious cargo of sperm, mating with as many promiscuous females as possible in marathon sessions lasting up to 14 hours.

posted by j_curiouser at 7:24 PM on November 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

To be fair, I've participated in something similar but way more gay and less lethal in San Francisco at one point in the past.

I did, at the end of the long weekend, feel like I wanted to drop dead. But wow, I had distributed my precious cargo far and wide.
posted by hippybear at 7:39 PM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

I too started to post a comment about "males drop dead at the end of the breeding season, poisoned by their own raging hormones" but ... chef's kiss, no notes, what more is there to say, really?
posted by martin q blank at 7:47 PM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

So many tiny cute murder mice!
posted by praemunire at 8:26 PM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

SLYT and COW (cute overload warning) but this is my favourite very Australian encounter with my favourite small Australian mammal.
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 12:10 AM on November 6, 2023 [8 favorites]

So, the long-tailed planigale is basically the mammals’ answer to the hummingbird…
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:14 AM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

"Because I could not stop for Death -
He kindly stopped for me -
And brought me some Gatorade and a towel."
posted by PlusDistance at 4:37 AM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

There are some pictures of the pebble mounds here.
posted by Mitheral at 9:14 AM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Fascinating beasts. Thanks for post.
posted by binturong at 10:23 AM on November 6, 2023