Kaluta, Little red antechinus, Russet antechinus, Spinifex antechinus
The Little red kaluta is a rufous-brown color with fairly coarse fur. It is small and robust in form, with a shaggy appearance to the uniformly russet-brown or coppery color at the upper parts of the body; the underparts are a paler shade of the color above. The ears are short and covered in fur; the tip of the short snout is closer to the eyes than the ears. Their tail is relatively thick and short, sometimes swollen toward the base, and tapers to a length not greater than two-thirds of the body length. Kaluta has hind feet that are covered in fur.
Little red kalutas are found in the Pilbara, the west of the Little Sandy Desert, and parts of the Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia. They inhabit hummocks of Triodia, the dominant vegetation of spinifex grasslands.
Little red kalutas are solitary and territorial animals. They are active during the night and during the day usually rest in underground burrows. They live and forage on the sandy soil, searching for prey amongst the dense and tough mounds of spinifex. When investigating their surroundings kalutas always flick their tails in the air and are famous for this habit.
Little red kalutas are carnivores. They eat various insects and other small animals.
Little red kalutas breed in September. Females give birth to 6 young after the gestation period which lasts around 7 weeks. The young are typically weaned when they are around 4 months old. Male Little red kalutas die shortly after the breeding season, probably due to stress.
There are no major threats to this species at present.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Little red kaluta is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.