Are you fascinated by marsupials, like possums? Then we have all the information on the long-tailed planigale. The long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami), the smallest species of marsupial, belongs to the family Dasyuridae. The geographic range of all planigales, including the long-tailed planigales, falls within Australia. This species of animal is one of the smallest mammals known as well. These marsupials are known for their long tails, which take up about half the length of their body. This is where they get their common name as well. The body color of these little planigales is grayish-brown with a little yellow hue. Other than the little information available on their reproduction process, it still needs a lot of research. They have multiple partners during the breeding season, and the female gives birth to about 4-12 joeys in a litter on average.Read on to know more about the long-tailed planigales, and if you like this article, then also check out the little pocket mouse and Ryukyu mouse.
Fun Long-tailed Planigale Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
Long-tailed Planigale Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a long-tailed planigale?Long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami) is a species of marsupial.What class of animal does a long-tailed planigale belong to?The long-tailed planigale species belongs to the family Dasyuridae and the class Mammalia of animals.How many long-tailed planigales are there in the world?The population of this species of marsupials in an exact number is not known. However, they have been reported to be extremely abundant in their habitat range. The population trend also seems to be stable with the absence of any major threats to the species.Where does a long-tailed planigale live?The long-tailed planigale is endemic to parts of Australia. It can only be seen around the northeastern parts of the Northern Territory or the Top End of Australia. More specifically, they can be found in Townsville and Mackay of Queensland and in the south of Brunette Downs.What is a long-tailed planigale’s habitat?The primary habitats of these marsupials are the grasslands of the northernmost area of Australia’s Northern Territory or the Top End, black soil plains, and clay soil woodlands. The grasslands of the Northern Territory get seasonally flooded and then go through a dry spell for the other eight months. During this dry spell, cracks appear in the soil, where these little creatures hide to stay safe from predators, and they also find their prey there.Who do long-tailed planigales live with?The long-tailed planigales (Planigale ingrami) are known to be solitary in nature. They only come together during the breeding season.How long does a long-tailed planigale live?These marsupials are known to live for only about one year and three months in their wild habitat.How do they reproduce?Due to a lack of research, very little is known about the process of reproduction of this species. The breeding season of the long-tailed planigale occurs year-round. However, it seems to peak during the rainy season. The males and females both have multiple partners during this time. Not much is known about the courtship behavior and gestation period of these mammals. After the gestation period ends, the females of the population living in the northern zone of their habitat range give birth to four to eight young joeys in a litter, unlike possums which birth 8-20 young ones. The females of the population living in the southern zone of their habitat range can give birth to up to 12 young joeys in a litter. For the next 90 days, the young joeys stay dependent on their mothers. For the first six weeks of this duration, the young joeys stay inside the pouch of the mothers. At the end of the 90 days, the joeys are weaned and become independent.What is their conservation status?The conservation status of the long-tailed planigale species is of Least Concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They don’t possess any great threats to their population, except local cats. However, that still doesn’t affect their population in a large manner, and they also occur in many protected areas.Long-tailed Planigale Fun FactsWhat do long-tailed planigales look like?The long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami) is one of the smallest known mammals in the world, and the smallest known marsupial. These small mammals have a similar appearance as a mouse with a pointed muzzle and a flat head. They have bigger hindlimbs compared to their forelimbs. This helps them stand in a semi-crouched manner or lean back, at least keeping pressure on their hindlimbs. They have long bare tails, which can take up about half their body length. The overall color of the fur on their body is grayish-brown with a little yellow hue. Their belly is of a lighter shade.How cute are they?These mouse-like marsupials can be pretty cute in appearance. They are also not aggressive in nature which surely adds to their charm.How do they communicate?Not much is known about the means of communication of the long-tailed planigales. It can be assumed that similar to most mammals, they also communicate chemically and vocally.How big is a long-tailed planigale?The length of the body of an adult long-tailed planigale is about 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm). They are around six to seven times smaller than ringtail possums. The length of the body of the ringtail possums is about 11.8-13.8 in (30-35 cm).How fast can a long-tailed planigale run?The exact speed at which the long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami) runs is not known. However, they have been seen to run at a pretty quick pace if they are threatened in any way.How much does a long-tailed planigale weigh?The adult long-tailed planigale weight is about 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g) on average.What are the male and female names of the species?The males and the females of this species have no sex-specific names.What would you call a baby long-tailed planigale?A baby long-tailed planigale is called a joey.What do they eat?These small mammals are carnivorous in nature. They can even feed on an animal similar to their own size. Their primary diet consists of small invertebrates. They feed on insect larvae and adult insects, like grasshoppers, mole crickets, and other species of crickets.Are they dangerous?They are not dangerous towards humans. They can be aggressive towards the animals they prey on. Otherwise, they are not harmful in any way.Would they make a good pet?There are no records of Australian long-tailed planigales living as pets. They require a certain environment to survive. They also prey on insects, like grasshoppers and crickets. In addition, they can be gruesome when hunting, which would not be suitable for a home environment.Did you know…Long-tailed planigales (Planigale ingrami) can get aggressive when hunting. They pounce on their prey and bite it many times till their prey is dead. They can also get into small places when hunting due to their small size.Are they the smallest mammal?No, these are not the smallest mammals in the world, but they are the smallest marsupials in the world. The long-tailed planigale is certainly one of the smallest mammals in the world. However, the bumblebee bat is considered to be the smallest mammal in the world.Why is it called long-tailed planigale?These planigales got their common name owing to their long tails. They have other names, such as northern planigale and Ingram’s planigale.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our marble fox facts and jackal facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable long-tailed planigale coloring pages.Main image by Alan Couch.Second image by David M Watson.
What type of animal is a long-tailed planigale?
Long-tailed planigale (Planigale ingrami) is a species of marsupial.
Fun Long-tailed Planigale Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
Fun Long-tailed Planigale Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
Fun Long-tailed Planigale Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
Fun Long-tailed Planigale Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
What do they prey on? Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 4-12
How much do they weigh? 0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they? 2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type Fur
What were their main threats? Predators
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
What do they prey on?
Insect larvae and adult insects
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
4-12
How much do they weigh?
0.14-0.15 oz (4.2-4.3 g)
How long are they?
2.2-2.6 in (5.5-6.5 cm)
How tall are they?
N/A
What do they look like?
Grayish-brown, yellow hue
Skin Type
Fur
What were their main threats?
Predators
What is their conservation status?
Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
Where you’ll find them?
Grassland, Black Soil Plains, Clay Soil Woodlands
Locations
Australia
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Planigale
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Planigale
Class Mammalia
Family Dasyuridae
