By Mindy Weisberger, Senior
Writer | May 14, 2018 06:04pm ET
A type of marsupial dies in
droves during mating season, but the tiny mammals currently face a much greater
threat to their survival: humans.
Two species of Antechinus —
a genus of shrew-like animals known for marathon mating sessions that leave the
males crippled, spent and dying — were recently added to the Australian
endangered species list, representatives of the Queensland University of
Technology (QUT) reported in
a statement.
In a decision effective May 11,
the Australian government's Threatened Species Scientific Committee
(TSSC) declared the
silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus) and the black-tailed dusky
antechinus (Antechinus arktos) endangered, primarily due to severely reduced
habitat and other risks brought about by human-induced climate change. [Antechinus
Photos: New Marsupials Die for Sex]
Currently, there are 15 known
species of antechinus in Australia; the silver-headed antechinus was identified
in 2013, and the dusky antechinus was identified in 2014, according to the TSSC
report. Both species are small and carnivorous, with silver-headed males
weighing about 1.5 ounces (43 grams) on average and dusky males weighing about
3.2 ounces (90 grams) on average.
Antechinuses, which are only
found in Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania, are known for an unusual and
extreme mating strategy known as suicidal reproduction. During breeding season,
the animals frantically copulate for up to 14 hours at a time and expire
from exhaustion, injuries and organ failure in a matter of weeks,
leading to annual mass die-offs of antechinus males.
But the carnage of antechinus
mating isn't why the two species are facing an uncertain future.
Rather, they inhabit high-altitude forest habitats, where these animals face
growing threats of wildfires, predation from invasive species such as cats and
foxes, and habitat disturbance from cattle and feral pigs, the TSCC reported.
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