Phascogale
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ID#30
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Classification: Mammal
Endangered Status: Low Risk Habitat: Forests, desserts, and grasslands The phascogale is a kind of marsupial mouse, that has a big brush tail, and a pouch where it carries it's young. They have big eyes for seeing at night, big ears, and a little pink nose with whiskers all around it. The phascogale has grey, brown fur, with a cream colored stomach. They can grow up to be about 30 cm long, but their tail takes up almost half of their length. Phascogales are nocturnal animals, and they live in small groups. During the day they sleep in tree hollows for shelter, and go out to hunt for bugs and insects at night. They will spread over a large area, and need quite a bit of space. To find food they will scrap tree bark, where they will find bugs and insects, but they will also eat flower nectar, dead leaves, or plants. Sometimes they will also eat mice, or small rodents. When eating mice they bite the back of the neck, and turn them inside out to eat them. Phascogale's breeding season is unknown, but they can have up to eight babies at once. Phascogales usually live up to be about one and one half years old, but it is unknown how many times that they can have babies. Their gestation period is only, 12 to 20 days for smaller ones, and 35 to 42 days for bigger ones. They carry their young in their pouch until the babies get older and are too big to ride in their pouch. The babies grow very quickly, and very soon are too big for their mother's pouch. Phascogales are very unique animals, and few people know about them. Their big eyes and ears are very different from other animals. And the way that they eat, and find food, is very unique and special too. They are almost like big shrews but with a pouch, and big eyes and ears. |