Slender-tailed dunnart

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Slender-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis murina) is a small marsupial found in eastern and southeastern Australia. It is often called the common dunnart in Australia and is listed as Least Concern.

Size and appearance
- Body length: about 7–12 cm; tail: 5.5–13 cm
- Weight: males ~25–40 g; females ~16.5–25 g

Where it lives
- Range: from the Cape York Peninsula in the north to Port Lincoln in South Australia
- Subspecies: S. m. murina (throughout most of the range) and S. m. tatei (Townsville to Cairns, Queensland)
- Habitat: found at 60–360 m above sea level in mallee scrub, forests, woodlands, and dry heath; also in areas with leaf and bark litter, from Victoria to rainforest edges and swampy areas in Queensland
- Rainfall of its preferred habitats: about 30–85 cm per year

Behavior and life cycle
- Nocturnal (active at night)
- Sometimes goes into torpor in very tough conditions to save energy
- Breeding season in New South Wales runs roughly September to March; females can breed again after weaning
- One pregnancy lasts about 12.5 days; young are weaned at 60–65 days
- Litter size is usually 8–10 joeys; typically, the male dies after mating

Diet
- An opportunistic feeder on arthropods, with a preference for beetles and moths

Overall, the slender-tailed dunnart is a small, adaptable marsupial that lives in a variety of dry habitats across eastern and southern Australia.