Brown antechinus

Appearance

"Antechinus stuartii" is mostly light brown above, including the upper surfaces of its feet, and a lighter brown below and on its tail. Its body length is 93–130 mm and its tail 92–120 mm, and it weighs 16–44 g. Unlike in other members of "Antechinus", no pale-coloured eye ring occurs. "Antechinus agilis" is similar in appearance and difficult to distinguish except by its distribution.

Distribution

The brown antechinus is found east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia, from southeastern Queensland to around Kioloa, New South Wales. It is mostly found in forested habitats, with dense lower ground cover and low fire frequency.

Behavior

The brown antechinus is mostly nocturnal and is arboreal, and females build large communal nests shared by many individuals. Like all antechinuses, the males die after their first breeding season as a result of stress and exhaustion. The current accepted hypothesis to why this happens is that sperm competition drives increased male investment in reproduction. Female brown antechinuses do not possess a pouch; the young must attach themselves to the teats. Its diet includes beetles, spiders, amphipods, and cockroaches, although it is an opportunistic feeder. The litter size is six or seven young.

Habitat

The brown antechinus is found east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia, from southeastern Queensland to around Kioloa, New South Wales. It is mostly found in forested habitats, with dense lower ground cover and low fire frequency.