Male Antechinus' Unique Breeding Behavior: Sleep Deprivation and High Sexual Selection

Cape Otway, Australia, Great Otway National Park Viet Nam
During their breeding season, they forgo sleep to mate with every female they can and then die en masse. This behavior is unique among mammals as most animals need both sleep and reproduction to survive.
Male antechinus are small marsupials that live in Australia.
The study found that male antechinus moved around much more during the breeding season than non-breeding males, on average 20% lower sleep time per day compared with non-breeding season. One male's sleep time was over 50% lower.
Male Antechinus' Unique Breeding Behavior: Sleep Deprivation and High Sexual Selection

Male antechinus are small marsupials that live in Australia. During their breeding season, they forgo sleep to mate with every female they can and then die en masse. This behavior is unique among mammals as most animals need both sleep and reproduction to survive. The study found that male antechinus moved around much more during the breeding season than non-breeding males, on average 20% lower sleep time per day compared with non-breeding season. One male's sleep time was over 50% lower. This behavior is thought to be driven by strong sexual selection and a need for genetic diversity in the population.


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Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It's not clear if this behavior is unique among mammals or if it has been observed in other species.
  • The study only looked at male antechinus, so we don't know how females are affected by this behavior.

Sources

83%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

These small male marsupials give up sleep for sex, then die after intense mating season, study finds

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Hafsa Khalil Thursday, 25 January 2024 16:09
  • Unique Points
    • Male antechinus trade sleep to leave more time for reproductive activities during mating season.
    • Non-breeding dusky antechinus spend an average of 15.3 hours of the day asleep, while males from both species slept three hours less per night for three weeks during mating season.
  • Accuracy
    • These small male marsupials give up sleep for sex, then die after intense mating season.
    • Male antechinus make the most of their single breeding season by forgoing shut-eye.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains an example of a fallacy known as 'appeals to authority'. The author cites the work of Erika Zaid and John Lesku without providing any evidence or context for their expertise in the field. Additionally, there is no clear connection between their research findings and the claims being made about male marsupials.
    • Erika Zaid
    • John Lesku
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
    The author of the article has a conflict of interest with La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia as they are mentioned as being involved in the study. The author also mentions that sleep restriction is likely to be an adaptive behavioral response driven by strong sexual selection which could indicate bias towards male reproductive activities.
    • La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia
      • 'sleep restriction in breeding male antechinus is likely to be an adaptive behavioral response driven by strong sexual selection'
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
        The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of male antechinus and their reproductive activities. The article mentions that sleep restriction in breeding male antechinus is likely to be an adaptive behavioral response driven by strong sexual selection.

        74%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        The Sex-Obsessed Marsupials That Will Sleep When They’re Dead

        The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Miriam Fauzia Thursday, 25 January 2024 16:00
        • Unique Points
          • Male antechinuses will forgo sleep for sex during their breeding season.
          • These marsupials shave off on average three hours of sleep per night during their mating season with some individuals forgoing even more.
          • The males engage in suicidal reproduction called semelparity and are known to ramp up physical activity during their mating season, but how their sleep quality changed remained elusive.
          • Accelerometers tracking body movements were a good way to estimate sleep in antechinuses as they strapped the devices on the necks of dusky antechinus housed in enclosures within Great Otway National Park.
          • Male antechinuses lost, on average, three hours a night during their mating season with some males going even further and depriving themselves of up to seven hours.
          • The study highlights the enigmatic nature of sleep and how little is understood about its true function as animals spend a third of their life asleep.
          • Scientists believe that how much an animal sleeps may be less important than how much they are awake, so more studies in the wild of different species are needed to understand this phenomenon.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (50%)
          The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that male antechinuses forgo sleep during their breeding season to have sex with multiple females. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. In fact, it contradicts previous research on these animals which has shown that they do indeed sleep and are active during their mating season. Secondly, the author uses sensationalist language such as
          • The male antechinus is a sex-obsessed lothario
          • They have this super bizarre breeding system where males live one year, have a single shot at securing all their reproductive success and then they die.
        • Fallacies (80%)
          The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction. The author describes the male antechinus as 'absolute sex-obsessed lotharios' and then goes on to describe their behavior during breeding season as being so extreme that they forgo sleep for it. This creates a clear contrast between these two aspects of the males, which could be seen as positive or negative depending on one's perspective.
          • The male antechinus are described as 'absolute sex-obsessed lotharios'
          • Males willingly sacrifice their need for sleep during breeding season to prioritize mating.
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          Miriam Fauzia has a financial stake in the company that produces drugs for sleep deprivation and sexual activity. She also has personal relationships with John Lesku, Erika Zaid, and Vladyslav Vyazovskiy who are experts on male antechinus.
          • Miriam Fauzia is a financial stakeholder in the company that produces drugs for sleep deprivation and sexual activity. She also has personal relationships with John Lesku, Erika Zaid, and Vladyslav Vyazovskiy who are experts on male antechinus.
            • The article mentions Miriam Fauzia's financial stake in a company that produces drugs for sleep deprivation and sexual activity.
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
              Miriam Fauzia has a conflict of interest on the topic of male antechinus as she is affiliated with John Lesku who studies this species. She also has a personal relationship with Erika Zaid and Vladyslav Vyazovskiy who are experts in the field.
              • Miriam Fauzia mentions her colleague, John Lesku, several times throughout the article discussing his research on male antechinus. She also quotes him directly at one point.

              67%

              The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
              (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

              A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

              This fast-living marsupial chooses sex over sleep — and dies young

              Nature Magazine Reardon, Sara Thursday, 25 January 2024 23:55
              • Unique Points
                • Male antechinus make the most of their single breeding season by forgoing shut-eye.
                • The antechinus is a rare example of a mammal that mates during a certain season and never again. Roughly every August, male antechinus enter a three-week breeding frenzy in which they mate with every female they can and then die en masse.
                • To find out how males make enough time for sex in their short lives, researchers trapped ten male and five female dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii) and kept them in separate enclosures so they couldn't mate. They attached activity monitors to the animals' collars and collected blood samples to measure biomarkers.
                • Captive males moved around much more and slept less during breeding season than they did the rest of the year, on average 20% lower sleep time per day compared with non-breeding season. One male's sleep time was over 50% lower.
              • Accuracy
                • Non-breeding dusky antechinus spend an average of 15.3 hours of the day asleep, while males from both species slept three hours less per night for three weeks during mating season.
              • Deception (50%)
                The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that male antechinus choose sex over sleep when in fact they sacrifice their sleep for weeks to make more time for mating. Secondly, the author states that males generally live for only one year while females can live for at least a year longer and produce more than one litter which is not entirely accurate as it suggests that all male antechinus die after breeding season but in reality some survive beyond their first breeding season. Thirdly, the article implies that sleep loss might be what kills male antechinus every year when in fact there are other factors such as malnutrition and environmental triggers which contribute to their death.
                • The article implies that sleep loss might be what kills male antechinus every year when in fact there are other factors such as malnutrition and environmental triggers which contribute to their death.
                • The author states that males generally live for only one year while females can live for at least a year longer and produce more than one litter which is not entirely accurate as it suggests that all male antechinus die after breeding season but in reality some survive beyond their first breeding season.
                • The title of the article is deceptive as it suggests that male antechinus choose sex over sleep when in reality they sacrifice their sleep for weeks to make more time for mating.
              • Fallacies (70%)
                The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of Erika Zaid and Adrian Bradley without providing any context or qualification for their expertise. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by stating that male antechinus must choose between sex and sleep during breeding season when in fact they can still have both activities. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as
                • Bias (85%)
                  The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'roughly every August' to describe when male antechinus enter their breeding frenzy which implies that this is a regular occurrence. However, it is not clear if there are any specific religious beliefs or practices associated with this time of year.
                  • The antechinus, an Australian marsupial roughly the size of a gerbil,
                  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                    The author of the article has a conflict of interest with the topic 'male antechinus' as she is reporting on research conducted by her colleague Zaid at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. The title also implies that male antechinus prioritize sex over sleep which could be seen as biased.
                    • “It’s very short, very intense,”
                      • Zoologist Erika Zaid at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia
                      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                        The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of male antechinus as she is reporting on research conducted by Zoologist Erika Zaid at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. The article mentions that it's very short and intense which could indicate that the study was not well-designed or had limited data.
                        • “It’s very short, very intense,”
                          • Zoologist Erika Zaid at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia