Would you die for sex? Two newly discovered marsupial species most definitely would, and do on a regular basis.

Two new species have been discovered in Australia that have sex for 14 hours and then die because of it.

The new species are types of antechinus, a bristly haired, mouse-like marsupial that eats meat consisting of spiders and insects. Every year, the males fight each other with tooth and claw for the right to mate with as many females as possible before dying.

Once sex is complete, the stress hormones of the males skyrocket, overwhelming their immune system and causing them to drop dead long before the females ever give birth to a single baby, says lead study author Andrew Baker, a mammologist at the Queensland University of Technology's Science and Engineering department.

Until now, scientists already knew of 10 different species of sex-crazed marsupials, with the first discovered way back in 1803. In the past three years, scientists have discovered five new antechinus species, revealing that the genus has more diversity than originally believed. Like others in the species, the newly discovered anetchinus spend two to three weeks a year in a testosterone-fueled mating marathon that only leads to one thing -- death.

Scientists found one of the species, the Tasman Peninsula dusky antechinus (Antechinus vandycki), in remote areas of southeastern Tasmania. Researchers already new about the mainland version, but until now didn't realize it was its own species. The now named mainly dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii mimetes) makes its home in parts of New South Wales and Victoria in Australia.

But the Antechinus vandycki faces more challenges that just sexing itself to death, as loggers are destroying the animals habitat and may push the newly discovered marsupial to threatened status.

"We discovered the Tasman Peninsula dusky antechinus not far from the old European settlement town of Port Arthur in Tasmania," Baker says. "Most of its limited habitat falls within state forest, which is being logged.

"This species now apparently only lives in tiny, fragmented stands of intact forest that are under threat. It's a shame that mere moments after discovery, these little Tasmanian marsupials are threatened with extinction at human hands."

The male's suicidal sexcapades places the animals in an even more vulnerable state to population extinctions.

"This yearly male suicide mission, which halves each antechinus population, means the mums have enough spiders and insects to eat while they raise the next precious generation," Baker says. "But the future of each species is entrusted to the mothers alone."