Phascogale

[TonyW]

The phascogale is a relatively rare animal (so rare that the spell checker does not recognise it) and we only see them around occasionally. These pictures were taken a few years ago, before my DSLR days, and are not good quality but I think interesting for their subject matter.







For a period of about a week, this little fellow came to the outside of our sitting room window every evening to find the insects that were attracted by the light. They are marsupials but do not have a proper pouch, just a fold in the skin which accommodates the babies for a while. The males engage in frenetic sexual activity in the season to the extent that they mostly die afterwards (like the antechinus, another similar but smaller and much more common marsupial).

[IzzieK]

I have not seen one in real life...kinda cute...how big are they? If it is a marsupial, can it use its tail for helping it stand like a roo? Too many questions ... perhaps I should google the answers instead...

[Shadowman]

Nice capture.

[GBO25]

To think I've lived in the area of their habitat for many years and have never seen one. Thanks for the images and the info.

[Nicks Pics]

Neat I like it... and the pictures aren't so bad either. It looks like something people would like as an exotic pet.

[TonyW]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Izzie, you can get an idea of the size from the comparison with the brick it is on. It is bigger that a rat but smaller than a possum. In fact, it looks like a brush tailed possum at first sight. Normally, we see them darting up a tree at night.

Graham, they are quite rare and I had not seen nor heard of them until we saw one here after we moved in 25 years ago.