Dorsal view of Sminthopsis youngsoni
Sminthopsis youngsoni skull
Image of footpad of Sminthopsis youngsoni showing distinguishing features

Lesser hairy-footed dunnart

Sminthopsis youngsoni

A small carnivorous marsupial, about the size of a mouse with bristly footpads.

Morphology

A small sized dunnart, adults weigh 9-14 g. Upper parts are yellow-brown contrasting sharply with the white underparts and feet. Dark fur surrounds the eye and extends towards the muzzle. The tail is pinkish and about the same length as the HB, not obviously incrassated. Interdigital pads on hind foot partially fused and covered in small granules and short bristly hairs.

Evolution

The lesser hairy-footed dunnart belongs to the Family Dasyuridae, the carnivorous marsupials. This group is part of the Australian radiation of marsupials and they occur in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Dasyuridae is further divided into the sub-family Sminthopsinae, which includes the dunnarts, planigales, ningauis and the monotypic kultarr. Sminthopsini and Planigalini clades are thought to have diverged around 20 mya, during the Miocene, and genetic lineages within the Sminthopsis (dunnarts) diverged around 15-10 mya such that the species occurring today had all diverged by the early Pliocene. Dunnarts are endemic to Australia, with one species also occurring in New Guinea. The dunnart genus, Sminthopsis, is large and contains 18 currently recognised species with some representing polyphyletic groups containing unresolved taxonomy. The lesser hairy-footed dunnart is most closely related to the hairy-footed dunnart (Sminthopsis hirtipes).

Behaviour

This insectivorous marsupial is nocturnal and shelters in burrows often dug by lizards during the day.

Method of reproduction

Five or six pouch young are born in spring, which are independent from Nov-Feb.

Habitat

Terrestrial

Sand dunes, inter dune swale, red desert sand plains.

Distribution

Exmouth and along coast to Port Hedland, Northern/Central Western deserts into NT and far west QLD. Absent from rocky/exposed areas of the Pilbara.
Not endemic to Western Australia

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Subfamily: Sminthopsinae
Tribe: Sminthopsini
Genus: Sminthopsis
Species: youngsoni
Rank: species
Commercial Impact: 

None

Conservation Assessment: Least Concern

Net Conservation Benefits Fund

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Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/sminthopsis-youngsoni
Accessed 30 Aug 2023

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