Meet the antechinus, a mouse-like Aussie marsupial that kills itself by having too much sex

MEET the antechinus, a mouse-like marsupial that literally disintegrates by having too much sex. The little fella goes at it nonstop for a few weeks, then dies. Why?

This is an antechinus. Unsurprisingly, there's a slightly crazed look in its eye. Photo: Trevor Prescott

TALK about a happy ending.

This mouse-like marsupial, called an antechinus, humps itself to death. Over a period of two or three weeks, the antechinus has sex practically nonstop until its body disintegrates. You could say it dies of sexhaustion.

The antechinus isn't such a randy beast for its whole life. The males keep their chastity belts firmly locked until they suddenly stop making sperm and the females hit oestrus, otherwise known as "sexual receptivity". At this point, the fun begins.

Antechinuses spend their last few weeks on Earth mating feverishly, sometimes for up to 14 hours at a time, thus proving that even the tiniest marsupial can be an absolute stallion in the sack.

It isn't gentle love either. Males move between females frequently, and the sex tends to be violent, National Geographic reports. Biting is involved.

It's so exhausting that the male's fur falls off, he starts to bleed internally and his immune system shuts down. Before long he's riddled with gangrene.

Such gruesome setbacks don't convince the creatures to pace themselves. Even as their bodies fall apart, the males desperately search for more mates. Most of the females at least have the good sense to avoid them at this point.

So why the sudden frenzy of kinky marsupial sex? Scientists aren't sure, but they have a few theories. Dr Diana Fisher from the University of Queensland believes wild annual fluctuations in the antechinus' food supply force the species to breed quickly. By this logic, if the males don't hump themselves to death their babies will starve.

The whole process actually sounds pretty noble when you put it like that. It's still disgusting though.

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