Brown antechinus pictures and facts

The Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), is also known by its other two names: Stuart's Antechinus and Macleay's Marsupial mouse. The Brown Antechinus is a carnivorous marsupial within the family Dasyuridae. The animal has been labeled the same as several other species until recently, when it was discovered, or decided, that they were all separate animals: the Agile Antechinus, the Subtropical Antechinus, the Tropical Antichenus and the Yellow-footed Antechinus.

The Brown Antechinus has a body length of 9.5 to 11 cm (3.7 in to 4.3 in) and has a tail length of between 10 to 12 cm (3.9 in to 4.7 in). The antechinus is a brown color along its sides and back with a cream to white underbelly. The ears are small and rounded, set high upon the head and the eyes are small, black orbs located midway between the nose and ears. The Brown Antechinus has five toes on each of its four feet and is an excellent climber.

The antechinus is nocturnal, for the most part, and is arboreal, meaning that it lives primarily in trees. The females of the species build large, communal nests which are shared by many of the same species. Interestingly, the males die after their very first two-week breeding season due to the stress of the period and the exhaustion of mating.listofcountriesoftheworld.com/as-animals.html" title="" rel='external'>Australia. The antechinus is almost exclusively found in wooded habitats. The diet of the antechinus is comprised of insects: beetles, spiders and cockroaches, though the antechinus will eat almost anything it can find if insects are scarce.

The conservation status of the Brown Antechinus is labeled as 'least concern'. This means that the antechinus is at the very bottom of the list when it comes to endangered species; not being at all threatened. The antechinus has natural predators: snakes, lizards and predatory birds, but is not preyed upon by man.

Picture of the brown antechinus by Glen Fergus, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.