To die of love. For two species of marsupials it seems to be literal. The Australian government has in fact declared the black-tailed Antechinus and the silver-headed Antechinus at risk of extinction due to too long mating sessions that would cause the internal organs to collapse. The alarm was raised by the Queensland University of Technology (Australia)
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
To die of love. For two species of marsupials it seems to be literal. The Australian government has in fact declared the black-tailed Antechinus and the silver-headed Antechinus at risk of extinction due to too long mating sessions, which would cause the internal organs to collapse. The alarm was raised by the Queensland University of Technology (Australia).
Climate change appears to play a role as well, as do predators, but the excessive testosterone produced during lovemaking would dominate. For once, therefore, man is not the main culprit.
The Antechinus had already been discovered a few years ago: they are small marsupials, similar to mice, characterized by very intense sexual activity. Mating can in fact last up to 14 consecutive hours, passing from one mate to another, so much so that a single brood of a female has actually been fertilized by several males at the same time.
These real ones love marathons they generate levels of testosterone that damage internal organs and eventually collapse. And so males usually don't live more than a year (females, on the other hand, survive longer). Too little to guarantee continuity for the species.
The incredible performances of these little animals were known as early as 2014. And it was already shown that during mating the levels of the stress hormone increase dramatically, causing the collapse of the males, who often die before the birth of the babies.
Only now, however, have we seen the devastating (and suicidal) effects on the species, already threatened by predators and climate change, officially declared at risk of extinction. Today, in fact, the black-tailed Antechinus and the silver-headed Antechinus live only in three areas of Queensland, a northeastern state of Australia, and the estimated population is of less than 250 specimens.
What to do then? Researchers at Queensland University of Technology propose separating males from females, making the former meet only one female at a time, in order to prevent hormones from rising to dangerous levels.
But who knows, maybe even this solution is a human forcing. Perhaps the marsupials would rather die "satisfied".
For other curiosities about the mating of some animal species, read also:
- Here is the loudest fish in the world during the love phase (listen to the file)
- Those sexual acts between penguins that shocked the polar explorer
Roberta De Carolis
Foto: Queensland University of Technology
