A new species of marsupial with a voracious sexual appetite has been discovered in Australia, in Queenland. It is the same size as a mouse, but is the victim of a mating season that lasts for several weeks. This long and intense sex marathon often proves fatal for males
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
A new species of marsupials with a voracious sexual appetite was discovered in Australia, in Queenland. It is the same size as a mouse, but is the victim of a mating season that lasts for several weeks. This long and intense sex marathon often proves fatal for males.
One such creature is the black-tailed Antechinus, Antechinus arktos, found in the high-altitude wetlands of the Springbrook National Park region. It features a distinctive coat with very thick orange-brown hair, ending in a black tail. But his incredible sexual appetite and strenuous mating sessions are its most notable feature.
Mating, for them, it can last 14 hours each time. "They have a hectic demeanor, there is no courtship, the males just grab the females, and they both mate promiscuously," said Dr Andrew Baker, team leader. Queensland University of Technology.
The mating season lasts for several weeks and males generally die from extreme fatigue. What exactly happens? In practice, the excessive level of stress hormones that accumulate during the mating season degrades the male's body tissue, leading to his death, while the females survive thanks to the ability to block the production of the hormone, reveals the study published in the journal Zootaxa.
It is the third new species in the genus Antechinus that Andrew Baker's team has discovered in the past two years. All they die from stressful mating sessions. Males do not survive beyond the first year of age and experience their busiest period when they are around 11 months old.
New mammal discoveries are extremely rare, but Dr. Baker said he is convinced it won't be the last creature to be found in Springbrook National Park. “This rainforest is special and unique. It would not surprise me if there were other animals never discovered before in that area ", concludes the scientist who, together with his team, asked to include Antechinus as an endangered species.
Roberta Ragni
Foto Credit Queensland Museum, Gary Cranitch
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