Meet the red-tailed phascogale

March 29, 2023 10:30 PM

Meet the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura), also known as the red-tailed wambenger; red-tailed mousesack; or kenngoor. It is a very small carnivorous marsupial with a big brushy tail/big feathery tail. It is around 10 cm (3.9 inches) long and weighs about 60 grams (2.1 oz). It can leap up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) between tree canopies. It eats insects and spiders and does not usually need to drink water.

After the winter mating period, all of the males experience post-mating mortality. So males only live for 11.5 months, while females can live up to 36 months and produce 2-3 litters of young during their life.

It's a Dasyurid, which means that it is related to quolls and Tasmanian Devils.

It used to be found in Western Australia; the Northern Territory; South Australia; Victoria and New South Wales, but feral cats, feral foxes, and destruction of old growth forests mean that it is now only found in the wild in the Western Australian wheatbelt; and in fenced feral-predator-free enclosures.

Recently captive bred phascogales were released into Mallee Cliffs National Park, a 9570 hectare feral-predator-free area.

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (16 comments total)

Sometimes I have suspicions that you are making up these animals! Thank you for the very cool post, they are terribly cute.
posted by tavella at 10:54 PM on March 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sometimes I have suspicions that you are making up these animals!

I promise they are all 100% real animals! Wikipedia and Google will back me up...
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:15 PM on March 29, 2023

nom nom thumbs nom nom nom
posted by Thella at 11:47 PM on March 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm watching this at the tail end of a terrible bout of insomnia and my eyes are blurring and it looked like the map of Australia had Mel Gibson labeled on it. Seemed suitably far from major habitation so fair dinkum.
posted by srboisvert at 3:45 AM on March 30, 2023

I've met one phascogale here in East Gippsland. It was roughly mouse sized, but the big eyes and brushy tail were unmistakable. I think it was probably a juvenile brush-tailed phascogale because as I understand it this has never been part of the range of the red-tailed variety.

I took it off our cat, who had bailed it up in a corner of the back porch; checked it for damage (none apparent) and let it go again down the back. But that was two huge bushfire seasons ago and I'd be surprised if any still live nearby.
posted by flabdablet at 4:24 AM on March 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

“Red-tailed mousesack” sounds like a really weird insult. What a lovely, hopeful video. Thanks for posting.
posted by eirias at 4:52 AM on March 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

I genuinely adore these Awesome Aussie Animals posts, chariot pulled by cassowaries. We have incredible wildlife here and I'm heartily sick of the "lol everything wants to kill you" internet bullshit. So, more please! (Pademelons? Tree kangaroos? Flying foxes?)
posted by prismatic7 at 5:01 AM on March 30, 2023 [4 favorites]

I'm heartily sick of the "lol everything wants to kill you" internet bullshit

but what if you are thumb
posted by lalochezia at 5:13 AM on March 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

but what if you are thumb

Good point well made
posted by prismatic7 at 5:14 AM on March 30, 2023

good luck, you tiny adorable creatures! (that tail!)

And what an amazing, hopeful preservation project. I loved hearing that they're working on releasing ten! species there to restore the food web that once existed.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:46 AM on March 30, 2023

Was expecting ZeFrank, and then was disappointed, and then was not.
posted by mhoye at 6:58 AM on March 30, 2023

The old-timey pronunciation was fas-COG-a-lee, which delights me as a language nerd.
posted by gubo at 8:56 AM on March 30, 2023

Awww, the little teeth! That cutie can nibble my thumb anytime.

Thanks for sharing this, I had no idea these little creatures existed. Nature is amazing.
posted by rpfields at 10:00 AM on March 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Their smaller relatives, the antechinuses, are even cuter.
posted by flabdablet at 10:26 AM on March 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

Welcome home, kiddos!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:39 PM on March 30, 2023

What a coincidence I’m also known as the red-tailed wambenger.
posted by notyou at 9:14 PM on March 30, 2023