MEDIA STATEMENT Friday 6 September 2019 TINY MARSUPIAL NOT HERE FOR A LONG TIME, BUT HERE FOR A GOOD TIME Research from The University of Western Australia’s School of Biological Sciences, led by PhD graduate Dr Genevieve Hayes, has confirmed the extreme and unusual mating behaviour of the kaluta, Dasykaluta rosamondae. The kaluta is a small, relatively unknown, carnivorous marsupial found in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. It weighs between 20 and 40 grams. Dr Hayes said male kalutas die after a single, intense breeding season, and don’t live to see their young. This synchronised death, known as male semelparity, is the result of an immune system collapse. “Males were regularly captured in healthy numbers throughout the study, except immediately after the mating seasons, when no males were captured. This, coupled with ...
Sep 14, 2019
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Tagged Biological Sciences, kaluta, The University of Western Australia
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