Narrow-nosed Planigale
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| Narrow-nosed Planigale[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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| Planigale tenuirostris Troughton, 1928 |
The Narrow-nosed Planigale (Planigale tenuirostris) is a species of very small marsupial carnivore of the family Dasyuridae.
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[edit] Taxonomy
The Narrow-nosed Planigale was described by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton in 1928, separating it from the Common Planigale (P. maculata) with which it had previously been associated. The scientific name for the species means "slender-snouted flat-weasel".[3]
[edit] Description
The Narrow-nosed Planigale differs from other planigales in its more rufous colouring and smaller size – only the Long-tailed Planigale is smaller. It is an active hunter of various invertebrates,[4] including beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and moths and is known as a fearless and pugnacious predator.[3] Its flattened head is used as a wedge to prize apart grass stems and turn over leaves in the leaf litter. It will often attack prey larger than itself. It is a nocturnal species and in winter is primarily crepuscular.[3]
[edit] Distribution and habitat
The Narrow-nosed Planigale is found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Northern Territory in a wide range of inland habitats.[4] It prefers areas with cracked clay soil.
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 37. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Planigale tenuirostris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- ^ a b c Read, D. G. (1995), “Narrow-nosed Planigale”, in Strahan, Ronald, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books, pp. 113-115, ISBN 0-7301-0484-2
- ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, 64. ISBN 0-19-550870-X.
