Marsupial predators. Carnivorous marsupials (Dasyuridae). Excerpt characterizing Carnivorous marsupials
Family carnivorous marsupials
(Dasyuridae)**
* * The family of predatory marsupials is perhaps the most primitive in the order of marsupials. There are about 50 species distributed in Australia. Tasmania, New Guinea and adjacent small islands. Appearance, size and habits are very diverse. All, without exception, are carnivorous; small forms feed on insects. They are active mainly at night; some species lead an arboreal lifestyle. The brood pouch may be poorly developed or absent altogether. Gestation is 8-30 days, there are 3-10 cubs in a litter, the young remain in the pouch for approximately 150 days. They become sexually mature at 6-12 months and live 7-12 years.
Dormouses, or brush-tailed marsupials (Phascogale), are small predatory marsupials more or less similar to shrews. The body length of these animals is insignificant, the tail is of moderate length. The dense body rests on short legs with small five-fingered paws, which, with the exception of thumb the hind legs, devoid of claws, are armed with hooked, pointed claws. The head is pointed, the eyes and ears are quite large. In the dental system, the strongly developed upper incisors are striking; thin fangs are only of moderate size, pointed false-rooted teeth resemble the teeth of insectivores in their tubercles.
Marsupial dormouse inhabit Australia and the Papuan Islands, live in trees and feed almost exclusively on insects. Their way of life and habits have not yet been sufficiently studied, and therefore we can only look at them briefly.
Great marsupial rat, or tafa(Phascogale tapoatafa). It is approximately equal in size to our squirrel; body length 24 cm, tail length - 22.5 cm. Long, soft, wavy, rather sparse fur on the upper side of the body is gray, on the lower parts - white or yellowish-white; the middle of the forehead and crown are darker, all other hairs have black tips; fingers white. The tail along the first quarter of its length is covered with smoothly lying hair, similar to body hair. Over the next quarter it is covered by more short hair, light above, brown below; the second half of the tail is covered with long, fluffy, dark hair.
Tafa is a small, beautiful and seemingly harmless creature, incapable of causing harm; but hardly any other animal can so much contradict in its character the first impression it makes as this predatory marsupial, which constitutes one of the greatest disasters for the colonists. A wild, bloodthirsty and courageous predator simply gets drunk on the blood of the animals he kills and, during his predatory raids, deftly penetrates people’s homes. Its small size and small head allow it to crawl through the smallest holes, and if it manages to penetrate into a room where domestic animals live, it rages there in an absolutely incredible way. Neither a wall, nor a ditch, nor a fence protects from this annoying creature. She crawls through the narrowest crack, jumps over a wall or fence, finds access everywhere, from below and above, from one side or the other. Fortunately for the colonists, the Tafa does not have incisors like our rats, and a good enough door to hold it. But every owner must carefully lock chicken coops and dovecotes if he wants to save his birds. If Tafa were the size of a marsupial wolf and retained its bloodthirstiness, it would make entire countries uninhabitable and, of course, would be the most terrible of all predatory animals.
The colonists unanimously assert that the continuous persecution to which the Tafa is subjected, both from the whites and the natives, cannot be explained solely by its rapacity and bloodthirstiness, but is also facilitated by a special hatred of it, due to a completely different reason. Tafa, when attacked, defends herself, they say, with such fury and inflicts such painful and even dangerous wounds that her very appearance arouses a thirst for revenge in a person.
Typically, Tafa only leaves its shelter at night and wanders around, looking for prey. However, it happens quite often to see her running during the day, and the light apparently does not bother her. It has great mobility and dexterity, mainly on tree branches. Held here most of life and with the speed and flexibility of a squirrel jumps and darts from branch to branch, from one tree to another. The long tail is useful as an excellent rudder or balancer. Tafa usually finds shelter in tree hollows*; Here it raises its young. It is widespread in Australia, where it is often found both on the plains and in the mountains; This differs from most other Australian animals, which are usually limited to a belt of a certain height.
* It makes a nest of leaves and twigs not only in hollows, but also in the forks of branches, even on the ground.
Second type - yellow-footed marsupial mouse(Antechinus flavipes), an animal that reaches a length of about 13 cm and has a tail 8 cm long.
Quite abundant and soft fur at the base is dark gray in color, on the outside it is blackish with yellow speckles, on the sides it is reddish or ocher-yellow, and light yellow underneath; chin, chest and belly white or yellow; the tail is light, in places mottled with darker specks. White-bellied specimens live in the western and northern parts of Australia, yellow-bellied specimens live in the eastern.
We must mention another small predatory marsupial, which vividly resembles a jerboa, so we will call it marsupial jerboa(Antechinomys laniger). It is distinguished by its small slim figure, very large ears, a very long tail equipped with a brush and unusually elongated hind legs, the toes of which are approximately equal length. The predominant color of the long, thin and soft coat is indeterminate gray on top, becoming lighter on the sides and underside. The entire length of the animal is slightly more than 20 cm, the length of the tail is at least 12 cm. Judging by the appearance of the hind legs, similar to the hind legs of jerboas, we can say a priori that marsupial jerboa moves mainly by jumping. Krefft was indeed convinced of this fact based on his own observations. This animal is native to southern Queensland and New South Wales. It feeds, of course, on insects**.
** Often preys on lizards and small rodents; in captivity, marsupial jerboas immediately attacked planted mice.
Marsupial martens, of which five species were recognized in 1888, constitute a special genus. By general appearance they occupy approximately the middle between foxes and martens, without, however, presenting any striking resemblance to either one or the other. The body is thin and elongated, the neck is quite long, the head is pointed in front. Dental system the same as that of the marsupial devil. The tail is long, pendulous and evenly bushy; the legs are low and of medium thickness, the hind legs are somewhat longer than the front legs and are distinguished by the absence of a big toe; the fingers are free and armed with strong, sickle-shaped, pointed claws*.
* The drawing from Brem's publication is inaccurate - where this species lives, there is often no woody vegetation at all.
One of the most known species this kind - speckled marsupial marten (Dasyurus viverrinus), or quoll, has a roan-brown color, white below. All upper part body covered irregular shape spots that are smaller on the head than on the back and sides. Slightly pointed ears of moderate size with short black hair. The end of the muzzle is red-meat color. In an adult animal, the body length reaches 40 cm, the tail is 30 cm, and the body height at the nape is 15 cm. Representatives of this species are distributed throughout New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
The favorite habitat of the speckled marsupial marten is forests on the seashores. Here she hides during the day in underground lairs, under tree roots and under stones or in tree hollows. After nightfall, it wanders in search of food, often going long distances. Eats the main thing like the dead animals thrown up by the sea, but also hunts in the forest for small mammals or birds nesting on the ground; does not neglect insects. She also visits chicken coops and mercilessly strangles the birds she has captured, and also steals meat and fat from human homes. The gait is creeping and cautious, but the movements are fast and dexterous; however, it climbs poorly and therefore prefers to stay on the ground, although sometimes it climbs inclined tree trunks. The number of cubs varies between 4 and 6*.
* In captivity, there is a known case of the birth of 24 cubs. Perhaps in nature, females often bear large litters, but... since there are only 6-8 nipples, only the cubs that manage to reach the nipples before others survive.
The marsupial marten is persecuted with the same hatred as the above-mentioned predatory marsupials. She is often caught in iron traps, where some kind of meat is placed as bait. It is not suitable for keeping in captivity; it is one of the most boring creatures I know. She cannot be called either evil, or good-natured, or lively, or calm: she is simply boring.
Her mind appears to be very limited. The marten never shows affection or love for its owner and never becomes tame. If you approach her cage, she goes into a corner, hides her back and opens her mouth as far as she can. Although this pose has a threatening appearance, it is in fact not at all scary: if you get even closer to her, she will not dare to resist decisively. When the marten is excited, it emits a hoarse snort, which can hardly be called a snort; she does not think of defending herself in any other way, for example with her teeth. It is afraid of light just like other representatives of this family, and therefore always retires during the day to the darkest corner of its cage. Since the marten is insensitive to the influence of weather and is content with all animal food, it can be kept without much difficulty. Raw or cooked meat of all kinds is quite suitable food for her. She does not show such greed as other predatory marsupials. She grabs the piece of meat given to her hastily, tears off a piece, jumps up, throws it up, catches it and swallows it. Having finished lunch, he sits down on hind legs, quickly rubs her front paws one against the other and wipes her wet face with them or cleans her whole body, since she is very clean.
Marsupial devil(Sarcophihis harrisi) produces an extremely repulsive and disgusting impression. It also constitutes a special genus. The animal received such a meaningful name due to its incredible wildness and indomitability. All observers unanimously say that it is hardly possible to imagine a more unpleasant, more provocative, desperate and furious creature than this marsupial devil; his bad mood and anger never cease, and his anger flares up with a bright flame over the most insignificant occasion. In captivity, even with the most careful care, he does not lose his qualities and will never love or recognize the person who feeds him and takes care of him.
On the contrary, he attacks his guard with reckless fury, as well as any other creature that dares to approach him. The marsupial devil either sleeps in the darkest corner of the cage, or clicks his terrible teeth and snarls madly if he thinks that he can get someone who approaches him. These outbursts of anger seem to be the only manifestation of the spiritual activity of which he is capable.
The appearance of the marsupial devil is as follows: the build is dense, the head is very large, awkward, thick, with a wide muzzle. The ears are short, covered with hair on the outside, bare and folded on the inside. The eyes are small, the pupils are round. The nose is bare, the lips are covered with numerous warts. The tail is short, conical, very thick at the root and quickly thins; low, somewhat crooked legs of approximately equal length. The dental system has one less false root tooth than a marsupial wolf. The fur consists of short, soft hair that does not lengthen anywhere; The wavy curled hair of the mustache is thick, bristly and short, the tuft of bristles on the cheeks is extremely long. The head is covered with sparse black hair, so that reddish skin shows through between them. On the chest of the marsupial devil there is a white tie and two white spots; the rest of the body is covered with soot-black fur*. The entire length of the animal is about one meter, of which the tail accounts for about 30 cm.
* White spots on a black background of fur apparently serve as markers for individual recognition of individuals; their location and size vary greatly. In addition to spots on the chest, white markings may be on the sides of the body and on the rump.
At first, the marsupial devil caused settlers in Tasmania a lot of trouble, as it greatly interfered with breeding poultry. He penetrated like a marten into the chicken coop and raged here with such bloodthirstiness that only a marten could show except him. Therefore, from the very beginning they hated him and began to persecute him in the most merciless manner, especially since they found his meat tasty or at least edible. They set all kinds of traps and organized big hunts. Thanks to this, he very soon learned to fear man and withdrew into the densest and most inaccessible mountain forests. In many areas it has already been exterminated, and even where it still occurs, it is now seen quite rarely*.
* The main role in reducing the range of the marsupial devil was played by the penetration of the large placental predator of the dingo dog into the Australian mainland. Marsupial devil for short time disappeared from the mainland and survived only in Tasmania, where the dingo did not penetrate.
This is a true nocturnal animal; he is as afraid of daylight as the marsupial wolf or our owls. The light seems to really hurt him. Animals kept in captivity were observed: when they were brought into the light, they immediately hastily and fearfully tried to find the darkest place in the cage, writhed, turned away and tried to protect their eyes from the extremely unpleasant effect of light with the help of constant movements nictitating membrane. While the sun is still in the sky, the marsupial devil hides in the darkest and deepest holes, in the crevices of rocks, under the roots of trees, and here falls into a deep sleep, similar to death; then even the noise of hunting cannot wake him up. After nightfall, he leaves the lair and wanders around, looking for prey. At the same time, he turns out to be relatively fast and agile in his movements and resilient on the run; but still, in terms of agility and flexibility, it stands infinitely behind the civets and martens with which they wanted to compare it. His posture and some habits resemble a bear. When walking, he steps with his entire foot, and when sitting, he leans like a dog on his hindquarters.
With his usual rage, he attacks all the animals he comes across. Finds prey both between vertebrates and invertebrates; Of what this meager land gives him, it must be confessed, he does not disdain anything, since his gluttony is not inferior to his rage. During his predatory campaigns, the devil makes sounds that are something between a sonorous bark and a grunt. His gluttony often causes his death. He goes, without hesitation, into any trap and takes any bait, whether it consists of a piece of meat of some vertebrate or from another lower animal. It is more difficult, they say, to hunt him with dogs: seeing the danger, he shows extraordinary courage in a fight and defends himself to the end against every, even stronger opponent. Great jaw strength, terrible teeth, furious rage and fearlessness often allow him to victoriously repel a dog's attack. And indeed, there is hardly a hunting dog that would enter into battle with him.
In captivity, the devil always remains true to himself; after a year he is as mad and furious as on the first day of captivity. Without the slightest reason, he sometimes rushes onto the poles of his cage and strikes all around with his paws, as if he wants to tear to pieces on the spot anyone who approaches him. In captivity, eats any food; For quite a long time it can be fed only with bones, which it easily crushes with its strong teeth.
The number of cubs is said to vary from 3 to 5. It is said that the female carries them with her for a long time. Nothing more is known about reproduction*. The meat is said to taste similar to veal.
Family taxonomy Carnivorous marsupials:
Subfamily: Dasyurinae =
Genus: Dasykaluta = Western Australian marsupial mice
Genus: Dasyuroides Spencer, 1896 = Double-crested carnivorous marsupials
Genus: Myoictis Gray, 1858 = Striped marsupial martens
Genus: Neophascogale Stein, 1933 = Long-clawed marsupial mice
Genus: Parantechinus = Speckled marsupial mouse
Genus: Phascolosorex Matschie, 1916 = Striped marsupial rats
Genus: Pseudantechinus = Thick-tailed marsupial mice
Subfamily: Planigalinae =
Genus: Ningaui Archer, 1975 = Ningo
Genus: Planigale Troughton, 1928 = Flat-headed marsupial rats
Genus: Aepyprymnus Garrod, 1875 = Large rat-kangaroos
Genus: Bettongia Gray, 1837 = Short-faced kangaroos
Genus: Caloprymnus Thomas, 1888 = Naked kangaroos
Genus: Hypsiprymnodon Ramsay, 1876 = Musk kangaroos
Genus: Lagostrophus Thomas, 1887 = Striped kangaroos
Genus: Potorous Desmarest, 1804 = Potorous
Brief description families
Among other families of the order, predatory marsupials are the most primitive. This family includes the smallest in the order, medium or large and very diverse in appearance and the way of life of marsupials. Body length ranges from 4-10 cm in representatives of the genus of flat-headed marsupial mice to 100-110 cm in the marsupial wolf. The body build varies from squat and awkward to slender and tall-legged. The shape of the muzzle ranges from blunt to pointed. Ears are small or medium height. Unlike representatives of the possum family, the tail of predatory marsupials is not prehensile and, in most species, is covered with hair along its entire length. Often fat is deposited in the tail, and then it becomes thicker.
The forelimbs are five-fingered, and the hind limbs are four- or five-fingered. The big toe of the hind limb, when present, is small in size and without a claw. The hind limbs can be disproportionately elongated, and the forelimbs shortened (marsupial jerboas). The brood pouch may be absent, weakly or well developed (in the latter case it opens backwards). The number of nipples in females varies from 2 to 12 (usually 6-8).
Hairline short, thick and soft. Its color is brown with different shades, gray, reddish or blackish, sometimes with white spots (genus of spotted marsupial martens) or black stripes (striped marsupial marten, etc.) on the back.
The dental formula varies among different members of the family from 42 to 46 teeth. The incisors are small, the canines are large. Cheek teeth with three sharp peaks on the chewing surface. The indigenous ones are especially large. There are 7 cervical, 13 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 2 sacral and 18-25 caudal vertebrae.
The urogenital sinus and rectum are separated from each other. In males, the ureter opens at the base of the penis, and the vas deferens opens at its apex. The stomach is simple. The cecum is absent. The following genera studied have a diploid set of 14 chromosomes: marsupial mice, spotted marsupial martens, narrow-footed marsupial mice and Tasmanian devils.
Predatory marsupials are found in a wide variety of landscapes and at various altitudes from the sea coast to 4000 m above sea level. They lead a terrestrial (most representatives) or arboreal lifestyle, and are predominantly nocturnal. As a rule, they stay alone. Usually large representatives of the family are carnivores, small ones are insectivores. Most species are characterized by a monoestrous type of reproduction. Pregnancy 8-30 days. The number of cubs is 3-10. The young remain in the pouch for approximately 150 days. Sexual maturity occurs at 8-12 months. Lifespan in small forms up to 7, and in large forms up to 10-12 years.
Distributed in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and adjacent small islands.
There are 13 genera (48 species) in the family. Marsupial anteater(family Myrmecobiidae) feeds on ants and termites and behaves in contrast to predatory daytime look life. Marsupial mole (fam. Notoryctidae) resembles our mole in appearance, lifestyle and nutrition. Family of bandicoots, or marsupial badgers, - Peramelidae includes 19 species of mobile small animals inhabiting river valleys and forest edges; mixed food. Rat possum family - Caenolestidae looks like rats or shrews; feed on various invertebrates; forest inhabitants. Couscous family - Phalangeridae includes 43 species, very diverse in appearance; resemble mice, rats, squirrels, martens and foxes; body length 6-80 cm. Most species are herbivorous, some are omnivorous or insectivorous. This family also includes peculiar marsupial bears, or koala, - Phascolarctos cinereus. Marmots resemble wombats (2 species, family Phascolomyidae) - inhabitants of steppes, savannas and forests, digging long holes; They feed on grass, roots and tree bark. The female gives birth to only one calf.
Literature:
1. Sokolov V. E. Systematics of mammals. Textbook manual for universities. M., " graduate School", 1973. 432 pp. with illustrations.
2. Naumov N.P., Kartashev N.N. Zoology of vertebrates. - Part 2. - Reptiles, birds, mammals: A textbook for biologists. specialist. univ. - M.: Higher. school, 1979. - 272 p., ill.
FAMILY OF PREDATORY MARSPALIES FAMIL1A DASYURIDAE WATERHOUSE, 1838.
Among other families of the order, predatory marsupials are the most primitive. This family includes the smallest in the order, medium or large marsupials that are very diverse in appearance and lifestyle. Body length ranges from 4-10 cm in representatives of the genus of flat-headed marsupial mice to 100-110 cm in the marsupial wolf. The body build varies from squat and awkward to slender and tall-legged. The shape of the muzzle ranges from blunt to pointed. The ears are small or of medium height. Unlike representatives of the possum family, the tail of predatory marsupials is not prehensile and, in most species, is covered with hair along its entire length. Often fat is deposited in the tail, and then it becomes thicker..
The forelimbs are five-fingered, and the hind limbs are four- or five-fingered. The big toe of the hind limb, when present, is small in size and without a claw. The fingers do not grow together. Limbs are plantigrade or digitigrade. The hind limbs can be disproportionately elongated, and the forelimbs shortened (marsupial jerboas). The brood pouch may be absent, weakly or well developed (in the latter case it opens backwards). The number of nipples in females varies from 2 to 12 (usually 6-8).
The hair is short, thick and soft. Its color is brown with different shades, gray, reddish or blackish, sometimes with white spots (genus of spotted marsupial martens) or black stripes (striped marsupial marten, etc.) on the back.
The dental formula varies among different members of the family from 42 to 46. The incisors are small in size, the canines are large. Cheek teeth with three sharp apexes 
on the chewing surface. The indigenous ones are especially large. There are 7 cervical, 13 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 2 sacral and 18-25 caudal vertebrae.
The urogenital sinus and rectum are separated from each other. The ureter opens at the base of the penis in males, and the vas deferens opens at its apex. The stomach is simple. The cecum is absent. The following genera studied have a diploid set of 14 chromosomes: marsupial mice, spotted marsupial martens, narrow-footed marsupial mice and Tasmanian devils.
Predatory marsupials are found in a wide variety of landscapes and at various altitudes from the sea coast to 4000 m above sea level. They lead a terrestrial (most representatives) or arboreal lifestyle, and are predominantly nocturnal. As a rule, they stay alone. Usually large representatives of the family are carnivores, small ones are insectivores. Most species are characterized by a monoestrous type of reproduction. Pregnancy 8-30 days. The number of cubs is 3-10. The young remain in the pouch for approximately 150 days. Sexual maturity occurs at 8-12 months. Life expectancy in small forms is up to 7, and in large ones up to 10-12 years.
Distributed in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and adjacent small islands. The family has 13 genera (48 species)
Carnivorous marsupials
(Dasyuridae), a family of mammals in the order Marsupials. To H. s. include the most minor representatives detachment (marsupial jerboas) and quite large (marsupial wolf, marsupial devil). Body length from 8 to 130 Very diverse in appearance. The tail is not prehensile. The brood pouch opens backwards; in some it is constantly present, in others it is formed only during the breeding season, in others it is absent. The family has 13 genera, including about 50 species. Distributed in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the adjacent islands. As a rule, they are terrestrial animals and live in a variety of landscapes. Animal food. They breed once a year, with litters ranging from 3 to 10 cubs.
Wikipedia
Carnivorous marsupials
Carnivorous marsupials- order of Australian marsupials (Metatheria). Most meat-eating marsupials belong to this order. European settlers named many species after familiar placental predators living in Europe, for example, the marsupial wolf or. Of course, there is no relationship between these species and their European namesakes, and the external similarity is based on convergent evolution.
Carnivorous marsupials (family)
Carnivorous marsupials (Dasyuridae) - a family of mammals of the order of the same name. Distributed in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and adjacent small islands.
This family includes the smallest in the order (marsupial jerboa), medium or large ( Tasmanian devil) marsupials, extremely diverse in appearance and lifestyle. Body length from 8 to 130 cm, weight from 5 g to 12 kg. Most species have a slightly elongated body, pointed ears, long tail, covered with hair along its entire length, and relatively short limbs. The tail is not prehensile. Limbs are plantigrade; fingers do not grow together. The forelimbs are five-fingered, and the hind limbs are without a thumb. In terrestrial species, the hind limbs can also be noticeably elongated. The brood pouch may be absent, formed only during the breeding season, or present constantly; opens back. The number of nipples in females ranges from 2 to 12 (usually 6-8). The dental system is archaic, with a full row of small incisors; fangs are large. Teeth - from 42 to 46. The hair is short, thick and soft; the color is brown, gray, reddish or black, sometimes with spots and stripes.
Predatory marsupials live in a wide variety of landscapes, at altitudes of up to 4000 m above sea level. They lead a terrestrial or arboreal lifestyle and are predominantly nocturnal. As a rule, they stay alone. Major representatives families are usually carnivorous, small ones are insectivorous. They breed once a year, with litters ranging from 3 to 10 cubs. Puberty occurs at 8-12 months. Regular duration life - 7-8 years.