Communal Nesting in Antechinus-Stuartii (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae)

Abstract

Unrelated Antechinus stuartii spend a high proportion of their time in mixed-sex communal nests. Communal nesting starts early in the year, after females have weaned their young. It appears to be driven by the need for social interactions and familiarity between all the individuals in an area. The mixed communal nests persist into the mating season, when males and females often visit more than one communal nest each day. During the mating season, males spend no more than 8 hours in a communal nest, and travel extensively between communal nests, perhaps in an effort to improve their reproductive success. Lactating females nest solitarily. To meet the needs of their litter, they increase the number of foraging trips they undertake, but do not reduce the total amount of time spent within the nest at this energetically expensive time of year.