Common Dunnart

Scientific name: Sminthopsis murina

Alternative name/s:
Slender-tailed Dunnart

Author(s)

Ella Minton
Updated

21/04/22
Read time

2 minutes

Sminthopsis murina — DW1-36216.tif Image: Dick Whitford
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

Classification

Genus

Sminthopsis

Species

murina

Family

Dasyuridae

Order

Dasyuromorphia

Class

Mammalia

Phylum

Chordata
Size Range

Up to 12 cm.

Light brown to grey fur with darker fur on its head and neck.

Identification

Light brown to grey fur with darker fur on its head and neck. The underparts and feet are lighter in colour. Large rounded ears. A thin tail almost the same length as its body. Males weigh up to 40 grams; females up to 25 grams.

Habitat

Dry sclerophyll forests and mallee heath land.

Distribution

Eastern and southern Australia.

Seasonality

During the day it sleeps in an undercover nest or shallow burrow. It has the ability to become torpid, which results in temporary hibernation where the body temperature drops below 15 degrees Celsius. This is believed to be a technique which aids their survival in unfavourable conditions.

Feeding and diet

A nocturnal insectivore whose diet consists mainly of beetles, cricket larvae, cockroaches and spiders.

Breeding behaviours

The breeding season has been recorded from August/September to late March, during which time the males can become aggressive. Females attract a mate by making a series of ‘chit’ calls. The gestation period is approximately 12 days and the young can be weaned after 60 days. Females are able to have two litters per year producing up to 20 young. Young dunnarts reach full adult size at 150 days and it is believed that most males can only survive one breeding season before they die.