In Australia, a rare species of marsupial survived the devastating fires of 2020 | Antechin with silver head

A rare species of marsupial (silver-headed antichinus), whose male specimens usually die of stress before the end of the year due to an “intense” breeding season, managed to survive the devastating fires in Australia in 2019 and 2020, according to revealed this Monday a group of researchers from the ocean country.

The investigation began when the 2019 and 2020 wildfires destroyed much of the Bulburin National Park, one of the three natural habitats of this species in Australia, a fact that has caused great concern among specialists.

“We found 21 individuals of this species among their habitats whether or not they were charred, which is great because it means they survive.“said Andrew Baker, a scientist at the Queensland University of Technology, who feared that with a third of nature ravaged by fire, no marsupial would survive.

The other big threat that worries experts, besides climate change, is the presence of non-native predators, such as cats.

A short life

The silver-headed antechinus, similar in appearance to shrews, is a species officially identified only in 2013 that feeds primarily on insects and spiders.

Your specimens males, as per usual, die before reaching one year of age as a result of an intense breeding season, which lasts two weeks. Females, on the other hand, rarely survive until a third mating period.

In the case of men, “the high levels of testosterone due to their oversized testicles prevent the blockage of the stress hormone cortisol. As a result, during the breeding season, they become saturated with cortisol, which frequently poisons them“Boulanger explained.

“Males suffer from internal bleeding, their hair falls out, sometimes they go blind. Even then, they can roam around looking for females to mate with until they die,” he said. .