Organism
Antechinus (Marsupial Mouse)
TL;DR
Antechinus males demonstrate extreme semelparous reproduction among mammals.
Antechinus males demonstrate extreme semelparous reproduction among mammals. Males mate continuously for 12-14 hours, then die from immune system collapse - they allocate everything to reproduction, nothing to survival. Their bodies literally break down from the stress of continuous mating, representing mammalian parallel to Pacific salmon's all-in reproductive strategy.
Notable Traits of Antechinus (Marsupial Mouse)
- 12-14 hour continuous mating
- Post-mating immune collapse and death
- Semelparous mammal