Mulgara - Description
The Mulgara is a Marsupial in the class of
Mammals.
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Size: Body length ranges from 120mm to
220mm (5-9") with a tail length of 75mm to 130mm
(3-5"). Average seems to be 175mm for the body and around 100mm
for the tail.
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Weight: Mail weight ranges from 75g - 175g
(2.5oz - 6oz) with the Female ranging from 65g - 95g (2oz - 3oz).
Fur is the main covering of the animal, a reddish
sandy colour on the back and upper parts, fading to a very pale grey or
cream on the underbelly and under the chin.
As the Mulgara lives in arid grasslands where the soil is predominantly
a vivid red, perhaps this fur colouring is part of a camouflage
technique. The fur is very soft, mainly consisting of short hairs with
very few guard hairs.
The tails starts with the same sandy colour which
then darkens to black halfway down as the tail thickens. The fur also
thickens to a coarse black hair in the middle of the tail which then
further expands as the hairs increase their length to form a thick brush
on the end of the tail.
The Mulgara is a short stocky animal, very compact
with short stocky limbs. The head is large and broad compared to the
overall body size, with a short pointed snout and short round ears.
Being a marsupial, the female does have a pouch for its young, although
this is quite underdeveloped, consisting of two lateral folds of skin
around the nipples.
