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Seriously sweet

Posted by Bron (Canberra, Australia) on 25 July 2007 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.

The last of this short series - neither rat nor mouse but Antechinus agilis (pron ant-e-KINE-us). More common than kangaroos but little known even here.
It's nocturnal, insect-eating and produces up to 8 baked-bean-like babies in its tiny pouch. It's a rare but fabulous treat to see one hunting up and down tree trunks in the early evening.

Comments (18)

Soph from Enghien, Belgium

so cute! he doesn't look so scared... very good sharpness for this close up!

25 Jul 2007 6:49am

@Soph: Thanks Soph. He was very relaxed, and released into the forest a minute after this was taken!

Evi from Athens, Greece

Ohhh...such a sweet face....!!!!

25 Jul 2007 7:49am

@Evi: I love their bit wide eyes!

ally! from Singapore, Singapore

aww what a sweetie. i must say i've never seen it before! looks a bit terrified though :p maybe from being squished in a giant's hand ;)

25 Jul 2007 8:26am

@ally!: I trust the giant haha - he's a zoologist who handles animals very gently then slips them back into the bush.

badala from Leiria, Portugal

:) So cute. I like.

25 Jul 2007 8:54am

@badala: Hmm me too! :)) I wish I could keep one - but it longs to be free!

Shahab from Qazvin, Iran

Cool tiny one!Love it!

25 Jul 2007 10:47am

@Shahab: Thanks Shahab - You should see our pigmy possums - even cuter! (no photo sorry!)

bm from Budapest, Hungary

What a cool little fellow!

25 Jul 2007 11:18am

@bm: Thanks bm! Glad you like him. Most Australians have never seen one.

aggie from Singapore, Singapore

Oh my goodness, how cute is that? No idea that such a creature existed. Thanks for sharing and educating, Bron.

25 Jul 2007 2:40pm

@aggie: A great pleasure to share aggie! There are amazing Oz animals - mostly nocturnal. It's a great experience to arrange to visit a forest at night with a strong spotlight - nothing is dangerous - everything is fascinating! Thanks for your ongoing suppost here at my little space! :))

miu* from GA, United States

Such a lovely friend you have!!

25 Jul 2007 3:58pm

@miu*: I'm VERY lucky miu*. Thanks for visiting! cheers :)

tyan from Singapore, Singapore

so small and cute!I'd be afraid to hold it for fear of crushing it though.the hand really draws a strong contrast to how puny this little guy is.:)

25 Jul 2007 3:59pm

@tyan: Lovely strong hands showing such gentle care - they're pretty tough little creatures really and have a wonderful mouth of tiny sharp crunching teeth for demolishing insects. I have known these hands to get an occasional nip and guess who won?? (not the hand! haha)

Markus from Reading, United Kingdom

Wow, nice shot. Hope you survived the teeth:-)

25 Jul 2007 4:36pm

@Markus: I suppose if you're this small you need some pretty handy sharpies to dissuade larger creatures! Yikes!

amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada

This is great Bron! That is one adorable (or as I prefer adorabubble) little creature!

25 Jul 2007 9:55pm

@amy: Thanks Amy! Very kind of you to comment! cheers :))

vasa from United States

this is a great macro

25 Jul 2007 11:44pm

@vasa: I'm glad you like it vasa - thanks for the comment! Bron

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Wow! great close up of this little fella!

26 Jul 2007 1:03am

@MaryB: Thanks Mary - he's worth going close to - he's a charming one!

Stu from Kyoto, Japan

A wonderfully sharp image Bron. Great shot. Thanks for posting.

26 Jul 2007 2:28pm

@Stu: Thanks to you too, for your kind comment Stu.

ttomasso from Ballina, Ireland

what is small is also cute :-)

26 Jul 2007 3:00pm

@ttomasso: Mostly true ttomasso, except for...maybe a scorpion?? ;)) Thanks for visiting!

julina from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

OMG sooo cute. Such a tiny little fella.

19 Aug 2007 3:22pm

@julina: He is totally cute julina! That's for sure!

Barbara from United States

Precious shot. That tiny face looking up at you is sweet. Thanks for the story, I would have thought it a mouse. Interesting.

20 Sep 2007 5:07am

@Barbara: Thanks Barbara - I'm glad you enjoyed the photo and explanation! cheers Bron

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

You've got some wonderful strange creatures over there. Ever heard of the Bill Bryson book, "In a Sunburned Country?" I think a Joey is a marvelous animal.

20 Sep 2007 1:54pm

@Twelvebit: I've read and loved some of BB's very amusing books but not "In a Sunburned Country" I suppose I was more interested in learning about other places but if this is a recommendation......
BTW thanks for all your interesting comments on my blog. Much appreciated Twelvebit! cheers Bron

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