Little red kaluta Facts
Little red kaluta Facts
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| Interesting Little red kaluta Facts: |
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| Little red kaluta can reach 3.5 to 4.3 inches in length and 0.7 to 1.4 ounces of weight. |
| Little red kaluta is covered with coarse, reddish fur. |
| Little red kaluta looks like antechinus (closely related marsupial) at the first glance. These two animals can be distinguished by the size and shape of the body, head and ears. Antechinus is larger and has longer head with bigger ears. |
| Scientific name of little red kaluta is "Dasykaluta rosamondae". First part of the name means "hairy animal" ("kaluta" = "animal", "dasy" = "hairy" in Aboriginal language). Second part of the name, "rosamondae", is derived in honor to Rosamund Clifford, beautiful mistress of Henry II of England, which was red-haired just like little red kaluta. |
| Little red kaluta is nocturnal animal (active during the night). |
| Little red kaluta is terrestrial animal (adapted to the life on the solid ground). It rests and hides in the burrows in the ground. |
| Little red kaluta is a carnivore (meat-eater). Its diet is based on various insects and small vertebrates. |
| Compared to other marsupials, little red kaluta has slightly lower body temperature and basal metabolic rate. Thanks to these features, it can prevent loss of body water via evaporation during extremely hot periods of year. Other than that, little red kaluta undergoes short periods of torpor (periods of dormancy) during the day. Body temperature and metabolic rate additionally drop during the torpid state to ensure conservation of body energy. |
| Little red kaluta is famous for its tail flicking, behavior that is typically seen when animal investigates new habitat. |
| Natural enemies of little red kalutas are birds of prey. |
| Little red kalutas are solitary and territorial animals. Males occupy territories that are 2 times larger than territories of females. Territories of animals of opposite sex often overlap to facilitate reproduction. |
| Mating season of little red kalutas takes place during the first three weeks of September. |
| Males die shortly after the breeding season due to exhaustion. Females usually produce offspring twice in a lifetime before they die. |
| Pregnancy in females lasts 7 weeks and ends with 6 babies. Newly born little red kalutas depend on the mother's milk until the age of 4 months. |
| Little red kaluta can survive up to 3 years in the captivity. |
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