Lesser hairy-footed dunnart explained

The lesser hairy-footed dunnart (Sminthopsis youngsoni) is a small carnivorous Australian marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It is a widespread and fairly common species, being found in many desert areas of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.^[1] Its foraging strategies have been studied by Haythornthwaite and Dickman.^[2]

The lesser hairy-footed dunnart is distinguished from the very similar hairy-footed dunnart by its smaller size and less hairy soles.^[1]

Population dynamics

During dry periods, hairy-footed dunnart populations remain stable, instead of experiencing a boom-bust cycle like sandy inland mice.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Menkhorst, Peter . 2001 . A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia . Oxford University Press . 72.
2. Haythornthwaite . Adele S. . Dickman . Christopher R. . Foraging strategies of an insectivorous marsupial, Sminthopsis youngsoni (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae), in Australian sandridge desert . Austral Ecology . 25 . 2 . 193–198 . Wiley . April 2000 . 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2000.tb00019.x.
3. Stringer . Emily J. . Gruber . Bernd . Sarre . Stephen D. . Wardle . Glenda M. . Edwards . Scott V. . Dickman . Christopher R. . Greenville . Aaron C. . Duncan . Richard P. . 2024-04-30 . Boom-bust population dynamics drive rapid genetic change . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . en . 121 . 18 . 10.1073/pnas.2320590121 . 0027-8424.