Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
last yr.

Male Marsupials Sacrifice Sleep for Mating, Study Finds

In a unique display among land-dwelling mammals, male antechinuses reduce their sleep hours to maximize reproductive activities during their brief mating season, leading to their eventual death.

A male dusky antechinus in a natural enclosure.
Small mouse on green moss looking at camera
Cool Temperate Rainforest in southern Australia where dusky and agile antechinus lose sleep for sex during the breeding season.
Lead author Erika Zaid holding a dusky antechinus, 15 of which were observed in the study.

Overview

  • Male antechinuses, small Australian marsupials, sacrifice hours of sleep during their mating season to maximize their reproductive activities, according to a study by researchers at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
  • The study is the first to show direct evidence of this type of sleep restriction in any land-dwelling mammal.
  • During the three-week breeding period, males sleep an average of only 12 hours a day, three hours less than their usual sleep time.
  • Despite the sleep deprivation, the antechinus maintain their pursuit of mates, participating in marathon mating sessions lasting up to 14 hours.
  • After the intense mating season, male antechinuses die off in a mass event, a phenomenon known as 'mating syndrome'.