Meet the Dibbler

January 26, 2024 9:14 PM

Meet the Dibbler, also called Wyalung in the Nyoongar language, or Parantechinus apicalis. It's a small marsupial, 14–15 cm (5.5-5.9 inches) long, and weighs 40–100 grams (1.4 ounces to 3.5 ounces). It eats ground-dwelling insects and other invertebrates, small lizards, small birds and small mammals. It was critically endangered, but its conservation status has improved considerably after Perth Zoo spent 26 years breeding 1173 of them and releasing them into suitable wild habitat. Here's a 48-second video.

Here's a fact sheet.

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (7 comments total)

Awww so cute. Can I have one? Pleeeaaaaase?
posted by pianissimo at 11:38 PM on January 26

Okay, okay, three point SIX ounces, and that's cuttin' me own throat!
posted by Scattercat at 11:46 PM on January 26 [21 favorites]

I used to think I knew about a lot of marsupials. Thanks to this series of posts, I realize I do not, but I do know more than I did when I thought I knew a lot. (seriously, thanks! I have been loving it)

(I probably did already know about more marsupials than the average American beforehand, but that's not saying a lot. But I still feel pretty good in any arena when it comes to ratites)
posted by aubilenon at 11:58 PM on January 26

I feel like The Dibbler was a Batman villain back in the 60s, getting away with crime by hiding in leaf litter.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:03 AM on January 27 [1 favorite]

They also have a somewhat notorious reputation as street vendors.
posted by notoriety public at 6:14 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

Aw, I love them! WA really has a lock on Australia’s Cutest Marsupials.
posted by rednikki at 6:56 AM on January 27

oh my, they're like tiny, tiny opossums, right?
posted by martin q blank at 10:13 AM on January 28