drhoz
in
wtf_nature
Quenda Quenda Quenda
Some time back, I rescued a Quenda. It was being 'played with' by a cat. As in being held down and raked with claws :(
He ( or possibly she ) was badly in shock by the time I got him wrapped up in a fleecy jacket, and, via various phone calls, to a vet. He recovered enough to struggle a bit as the nurse cuddled him to keep him warm. He recovered, but I still hope to find out which stupid bastard around here lets their cat out to attack native fauna, so I can go savage them.
Anyway - Quenda - Southern Brown Bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus. As you can see, for marsupials they're pretty rat-like, and indeed it seems likely bandicoots were so named after an Indian rodent Bandicota indica that the explorer Bass knew about, in 1799.
Quendas are omnivores (again, like rats), and like all bandicoots, thrive on insects, fruit, seeds, and fungi ( there are a number of australian truffles that spread their spores only via bandicoot guts). Their claim to What-the-fuckery is their extremely rapid breeding - Bandicoots enjoy the shortest gestation of any mammal - 11 days from conception to birth, but for some reason they still felt the need to independently invent the placenta (not feeling so special NOW, are you 'higher mammals'?).
Brown bandicoots breed all year around as long as they have water available. A litter of two to five joeys spend six weeks in the backwards-facing pouch before mum kicks them out. A bit rude, because despite being born with claws - 'milk claws'? - the babies lose them again after climbing up along her belly to the pouch. Probably just as well though, as I doubt she'd enjoy being kicked repeatedly in the tits with their adult claws either, once they grow them. They reach breeding age a month after being turfed out, and patrol their territories usually at night, and rest in grassy nests during the day.
oh, and apparently they have full colour vision - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichromacy
He ( or possibly she ) was badly in shock by the time I got him wrapped up in a fleecy jacket, and, via various phone calls, to a vet. He recovered enough to struggle a bit as the nurse cuddled him to keep him warm. He recovered, but I still hope to find out which stupid bastard around here lets their cat out to attack native fauna, so I can go savage them.
Anyway - Quenda - Southern Brown Bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus. As you can see, for marsupials they're pretty rat-like, and indeed it seems likely bandicoots were so named after an Indian rodent Bandicota indica that the explorer Bass knew about, in 1799.
Quendas are omnivores (again, like rats), and like all bandicoots, thrive on insects, fruit, seeds, and fungi ( there are a number of australian truffles that spread their spores only via bandicoot guts). Their claim to What-the-fuckery is their extremely rapid breeding - Bandicoots enjoy the shortest gestation of any mammal - 11 days from conception to birth, but for some reason they still felt the need to independently invent the placenta (not feeling so special NOW, are you 'higher mammals'?).
Brown bandicoots breed all year around as long as they have water available. A litter of two to five joeys spend six weeks in the backwards-facing pouch before mum kicks them out. A bit rude, because despite being born with claws - 'milk claws'? - the babies lose them again after climbing up along her belly to the pouch. Probably just as well though, as I doubt she'd enjoy being kicked repeatedly in the tits with their adult claws either, once they grow them. They reach breeding age a month after being turfed out, and patrol their territories usually at night, and rest in grassy nests during the day.
oh, and apparently they have full colour vision - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichromacy