Observations on the behaviour of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia : Tarsipedidae) in captivity

Abstract

Detailed studies of behaviour were made on Tarsipes rostratus maintained in captivity. Patterns of social interactions were scored in two separate groups, for one of which activity was monitored during three 24-h periods. Two wild-caught females reared litters in captivity, and mother-young interactions and the development of behaviour of the young were recorded in detail. Behaviour of individuals and in social interactions is described. With the exception of feeding behaviour specialized for an exclusive diet of nectar and pollen, most behaviour is typical of small, conservative mammals, and social interactions show little ritualization. Animals were most active between sunset and sunrise, but fed a little during the day. In both groups studied, the same pattern of social interactions emerged, with the largest adult female dominant to all other group members and directing most aggressive behaviour towards males, which are smaller than females. Young were first seen out of the pouch at about 65–69 days after birth, and weaning was complete by about 90 d. At their first exit from the pouch young were well furred and their eyes were open; within a week they were riding on their mother's back and climbing alone. Large young in the pouch are a great hindrance to their mother, and it is suggested that a function of female dominance is that it enables a female to exclude competitors from an area at a time when she is least able to travel far in search of food. The period from birth to weaning is long for a marsupial of the size of Tarsipes (female, 12 g; male 9 g); the hypothesis is advanced that slower growth and development may be related to Tarsipes' diet of nectar and pollen, in particular to the difficulty of digesting pollen. There is as yet no explanation of why the young are carried in the pouch to a more advanced stage of development than are those of most other very small marsupials.