Currently In Care

[den]

The creature reared back on its hind legs, balancing on its tail like a kangaroo. It spread its arms and roared at me.

ATTACK OF THE DUNNART

"SSSSSS!" hissed the dunnart. My hand got too close and it sank its fangs in, almost drawing blood.

"So what is it?" asked the vet. "At first I thought it was a mouse, but the way it was hanging off my cat's nose made me think again."

I examined the animal carefully, fearful that I'd injure the mouse-sized marsupial. Its tail wouldn't look out of place on a rat, but on this little beastie it looked out of place. "I think it's a fat-tailed dunnart," I said. The beast hissed again and opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth from one end to the other. "Yep. Dunnart."

I'll keep him (her? the pouch is too small to see) for a few days to see if the cat did any internal damage. So now my desk sports a frog terrarium that contains a voracious carnivore. I am rapidly running out of meal worms.

Comments

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

My god. Even your MICE are ferocious down there!

Loxley

Dunnart

[odious.livejournal.com]

So, is it kinda like a marsupial shrew? Apparently it has quite the temper though.

Re: Dunnart

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Yep! I think they have 4 joeys at a time. They must be tiny.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Some of the sheep aren't dangerous.

Re: Dunnart

[odious.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they must considering the pouch apature is too small to see. Say maybe 1-3mm in length maybe? Just a guess.

[azhreia.livejournal.com]

/me was torn between replying

- "the sheep which gives us steel wool has no natural predators"

and

- only SOME of the sheep. and it's impossible to tell which, at least till you've got one that's got its teeth imbedded in your thigh. then you know that that particular one, isn't one of the ones that's not dangerous.

and then I thought of a third comment. you should call it Coney. ;-)

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

The phrase "cute but deadly" comes to mind. You guys sure have some weird critters down there. The way you were talking about it, I'd have thought it was a reptile of some kind. Even though I know it's a marsupial, there's still something reptilian about it to me. And I would never have suspected it's a carnivore. Maybe it was trying to eat the cat? *grin*

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

It started out "cat eat mouse" but then it all went wrong. Poor cat. I hope it's not traumatized.

All the Dasyurids (dunnarts, kultarrs, quolls, antechinus and tasmanian devils) are amazingly voracious. I mean seriously bottomless pit type of feeding. Dunnarts and antechinus eat their own weight in insects, small reptiles and smaller mammals every night. I've seen antechinus tackle scorpians and win, and scarf down spiders bigger than themselves.

[jamesb]

Let's not even mention the voracious but highly selective appetite of the Dropbears.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Yes. Let's not.

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

"Danger" is relative.

I'm told that sheep lie---

*evil grin*

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

Glad you're keeping it quiet. Don't need to spread the panic, especially about---

...Oops!...

Never mind.

Shhh---!!!!

Wow! An immigrant from Brooklyn!

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

"C'mon, c'mon...puddem up, pud-dem uuup...oi'll moidolize ya, ya lousy bum!"

Yo-yo-yo! REPRESENT!! *tosses Brookly gang-signs at the little blighter*

*cackles*

[tendyl.livejournal.com]

I can just see that cat avoiding all 'mice' in the future out of fear!!!

Re: *cackles*

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

One can hope.

What I'd like to see is the cat still hunting mice but avoiding the grey ones with little foxey snouts.

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

Or attempts at domestication, i.e The Taming of The Shrew:D.

*dodge*