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The plight of the phascogale
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The life of the cute marsupial known as the Phascogale is "a short, hard one," according to biologist and photographer Leon Rakai.
"I'm a conservationist first and photographer second so my prime focus is the conservation of our endangered marsupials; in particular, the phascogale," Mr Rakai said.
The female phascogale lives for two or three breeding cycles, producing three of four young during each of the cycles, while the males typically only live for one breeding cycle.
"All they do is look for females; they will forget about eating, they forget about predators; it's all about breeding for them," said Mr
Rakai.
The agile carnivore typically emerges from its tree hollow at dusk to feed and will jump from tree to tree, using the scattered undergrowth as cover from predators as it gathers enough insects and grubs to meet its high-energy needs.
Invasive species and land clearing have both taken a toll on phascogale numbers and Mr Rakai believes its anonymity adds more pressure to its already small numbers.
He said much of the world's attention was on what he called "Hollywood species", such as lions, tigers and pandas, but hoped his photography would help.
"Once people see some of these images, people will see the phascogale is a pretty cute and cuddly creature," Mr Rakai said.
"As long as it's not latched on to the end of your finger; they have a strong little bite to them."
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"I'm a conservationist first and photographer second so my prime focus is the conservation of our endangered marsupials; in particular, the phascogale," Mr Rakai said.
The female phascogale lives for two or three breeding cycles, producing three of four young during each of the cycles, while the males typically only live for one breeding cycle.
"All they do is look for females; they will forget about eating, they forget about predators; it's all about breeding for them," said Mr
Rakai.
The agile carnivore typically emerges from its tree hollow at dusk to feed and will jump from tree to tree, using the scattered undergrowth as cover from predators as it gathers enough insects and grubs to meet its high-energy needs.
Invasive species and land clearing have both taken a toll on phascogale numbers and Mr Rakai believes its anonymity adds more pressure to its already small numbers.
He said much of the world's attention was on what he called "Hollywood species", such as lions, tigers and pandas, but hoped his photography would help.
"Once people see some of these images, people will see the phascogale is a pretty cute and cuddly creature," Mr Rakai said.
"As long as it's not latched on to the end of your finger; they have a strong little bite to them."
Join the ABC Australia community on social media!
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