Gilbert's dunnart (''Sminthopsis gilberti'') is a recently discovered

dunnart A dunnart (from Noongar ''donat'') is a narrow-footed marsupial the size of a European mouse, of the genus ''Sminthopsis''. Dunnarts have a largely insectivorous diet. Taxonomy The genus name ''Sminthopsis'' was published by Oldfield Thomas ...

, described in 1984. The length from snout to tail being of which the head and body are and the tail . The hind foot size is , the ear length is and with the weight is .

Distribution and habitat

Gilbert's dunnart is found in the southern wheat belt of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

close to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and the Swan River, as well as the Roe plain near the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n border. The habitat it inhabits consists of heath and heathy forest and is abundant on coastal rangers, dry sclerophyll forest, semi-arid woodlands, and mallee scrub.

Social organisation and breeding

This

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

species nests in hollows above ground or dense bush. Gilbert's dunnart breeds from September until December and young are weaned in January or February.

Diet

Gilbert's dunnart primarily eats insects.

References

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External links

Pictures and facts about the Gilbert's dunnartAustralian Biological Resources Study
Dasyuromorphs Mammals of Western Australia Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1984 Taxa named by Darrell Kitchener {{WesternAustralia-stub