When it comes to sex Antichinus males have an extraordinary approach to reproduction.
Antichinus are small marsupials - about 12cm to 31cm nose to tail - with soft fur, large eyes and a pointed snout, and live in forested areas of Australia and New Guinea. But don’t let the cuteness of these small, shrew-like marsupials fool you; these animals are so focussed on sex that they literally put their all into it.
- Marsupials guide: what they are, where they live - and why they have pouches and why they are important
- Discover 11 animals that die during or after sex
The mating period for this member of the Dasyuridae family is intense, and dependent on the availability of food coupled with competition between males for females, who mate with multiple partners.
Males have evolved to use every ounce of their energy in pursuit of mates, a mating frenzy that results in stress levels high enough to cause their immune system to collapse, followed by death. While this strategy seems extreme, it does give males the best chance of getting their genetic material into the next generation. And with sex sessions lasting up to 14 hours, it’s quite a way to bow out.
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- Is this nature's most violent mating behaviour? Meet the blubbery beast that hurls itself at other males
- Do these male animals have the worst lives on the planet? 10 doomed males – screwed by evolution – destined to live brutal, short and unforgiving lives
