The antechinus is a small mouse-like marsupial native to Australia. However, while it might seem fairly ordinary it has an uncouth strategy for passing on its genes, it will forgo a considerable amount of its sleeping time, in exchange for sex.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 This is an Antichinus, a small mouse-like marsupial
00:07 native to Australia.
00:08 However, while it might seem fairly ordinary,
00:10 it has an uncouth strategy for passing on its genes.
00:13 It will forgo a considerable amount of its sleeping time
00:16 in exchange for sex.
00:18 Researchers observed the creatures in the wild for years,
00:21 finding that during mating season,
00:23 male Antichinuses will spend three weeks
00:25 cutting down their sleep, catching only 12 hours of Zs,
00:28 as opposed to their regular 15.
00:30 That might not seem like much, but the researchers
00:32 say it's significant.
00:33 And when looking at other species,
00:35 it seems counterintuitive, with researcher Erica Zaid saying
00:38 in a recent press release, quote,
00:40 "In humans and other animals, restricting
00:42 the normal amount of sleep leads to worse performance
00:45 while awake and affect the compounds night after night."
00:47 And yet the Antichinus did just that.
00:49 However, the male Antichinus doesn't really
00:51 need to have a healthy sleeping pattern heading into or even
00:54 after its mating season.
00:55 That's because shortly after it mates and passes
00:57 on its DNA, it dies and is left to be eaten by its mate,
01:02 with the study's author telling the New York Times, quote,
01:04 "These males are just programmed to die and end
01:07 their evolutionary longevity after one year."
01:11 (upbeat music)
01:13 (upbeat music)