File:Red-tailed wambenger climbing tree - DPLA - 4be27950b6cccba94fa2aaab5b0b57e6.jpg

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Dasyuromorpha; Family: Dasyuridae; Genus: Phascogale; Genus species: Phascogale calura. Animal characteristics: Head-Body Length: 93-122 mm; Weight: 38-68 g; Identification: The red-tailed wambenger has ashy gray upperparts, white/cream underparts, a darker patch in front of the eye, and reddish ears and tail base. The wambenger has black hairs at the end of the tail; Habitat: Forests with tall, dense vegetation; Diet: Carnivore: opportunistic; insects, spiders, small birds and mammals; Reproduction: The breeding season falls during three weeks in July. The female gestates 28-30 days and then gives birth to up to 13 young. All males die after mating. Females can live 1-3 years; Behavior: Red-tailed wambengers are arboreal and nocturnal; Status: No special status; Interesting Facts: Numbers are dwindling due to introduced predators such as the cat and fox. Remaining populations live in areas that contain plants with a toxin called monosodium fluoroacetate. This toxin is poisonous to nonnative herbivores (sheep, cattle, etc) and nonnative predators that eat any animal that has ingested the toxin. This offers the red-tailed wambenger a bit of protection.