#wambenger

Red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura)

Common wambenger (Phascogale tapoatafa)

Red Tailed Phascogale/Wambenger (Phascogale calura) - 

Phascogales are small carnivorous marsupials native to western Australia.  There are only two species of Phascogale; the red tailed and the brush tailed.  The red tailed is the smaller of the two.  

These little marsupials are best known for their die hard mating habits.  Males will become so overwhelmed with hormones that they usually die shortly after their first mating seasons.  In the wild, males will live just over a year.  Females can live up to about 3 years.  Females might produce one or two litters in a lifetime. 

Living primarily in trees, it eats mostly insects, arachnids, and sometimes small reptiles or mammals.  It does not need to drink water, as it gets its moisture from its food. 

It is vulnerable to introduced predators and more recently, new chemicals that threaten its population.  They have been listed as near threatened within the last few years.