Suicide reproduction threatens the survival of quolls

Scientists want to find out why intercourse is a death sentence for male quolls. The cute marsupials from northern Australia are the world’s largest semelparous mammals – meaning males reproduce only once in their lifetime and then die.

This could be due to their relentless drive to mate, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

According to the study, because of their sex drive, men cannot rest and become exhausted as a result. During mating season “they don’t seem to sleep as much as they should”lead author Joshua Gaschk of the University of the Sunshine Coast told AFP. This could be a reason for the death of males after mating.

Hoping to shed some light on the males’ mysterious deaths after their first successful sex, the researchers tagged seven male and six female dwarf quolls on the island of Groote Eylandt in small backpacks.

Data collected over a 42-day period showed that males were significantly more active during the mating season than females, which still live for up to four breeding seasons. While women spent nearly a quarter of their time — 24 percent — resting, men did just 7 percent.

Smaller relatives such as the broad-footed pocket mouse are also semelparous. Research has shown that males die from internal bleeding and infections due to the stress of the mating season – but this is clearly not the case with dwarf quolls.

According to Gaschk, the annual death of males may threaten the survival of the dwarf quoll, whose population is already threatened by invasive species such as the cane toad. At the same time, he points out, predatory marsupials have been following the extreme reproductive strategy known as suicidal reproduction for “thousands of years.” “It must have some use.” (saw/sda/afp)