Yellow-footed Antechinus

"This was a very cute discovery.

Last month, ACT Government ecologists found previously-unknown populations Yellow-footed Antechinus (‘Antechinus flavipes’) at Kowen Escarpment and Rob Roy nature reserves.

Snuffling through leaf litter in search of insects and beetles, these native marsupials are little cousins to the famous Tasmanian Devil. Antechinus are renowned for their unusual lifecycles. Each winter, males produce a huge surge of testosterone and mate in a frenzy. Three weeks later, 95% of males will die from exhaustion and stress. Females will live long enough to raise their offspring in time for the summer insect boom, and so the annual cycle continues.

The antechinus pictured here (a male and a female) were captured using specialised traps. Weights and DNA samples were taken before they were released back into the bush.

The species has been under increasing pressure from urban expansion and other threats like habitat loss and predation, and has not be seen for several decades. So, to find these two unknown populations is extremely exciting."

- ACT Parks and Conservation