The male dusky antechinus can lose up to three hours of sleep per day during mating season. Erika Zaid. CNN — For some, happiness is getting enough sleep.

The dusky antechinus is a marsupial that resembles a shrew Adam Fry / Alamy Stock Photo Sleep is vital for almost all animals, but some male marsupials sacrifice their rest to find a partner and mate.

A male dusky antechinus in an enclosure in Cape Otway, Australia. Credit... Erika Zaid. By Miriam Fauzia. Published Jan. 25, 2024 Updated Feb. 5, 2024.

The photos of a mainland dusky antechinus (Antechinus mimetes) eating a dead member of its own species were taken on a trek to Point Lookout in New England National Park, NSW in August 2023.

The team used accelerometers to track the patterns of movement of 15 dusky antechinus (10 males) from captive and wild settings, both before and during mating season.

“And yet, the antechinus did just that.” Male dusky antechinuses (Antechinus swainsonii) were far more active at night during their breeding season, and blood work on agile antechinuses (A. agilis) ...

Two species in particular – mainland dusky antechinus and brown antechinus – were seen eating their dead comrades, in what has become the first photographed evidence of such behavior.

The photos of a mainland dusky antechinus (Antechinus mimetes) eating a dead member of its own species were taken on a trek to Point Lookout in New England National Park, NSW in August 2023.

To study the semelparous marsupials, researchers examined two antechinus species: dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii) and wild agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis) both captive and wild. P035WJ .

To study the semelparous marsupials, researchers examined two antechinus species: dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii) and wild agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis) both captive and wild. P035WJ .

The male dusky antechinus can lose up to three hours of sleep per day during mating season. Erika Zaid. CNN — For some, happiness is getting enough sleep.

(CNN) — For some, happiness is getting enough sleep. But for a small marsupial in Australia, sex is a higher priority than getting some shut-eye — and it is willing to sacrifice hours of it ...