Northern hopping mouse

The northern hopping mouse (Notomys aquilo) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in coastal northern Australia, from Arnhem Land to the Cobourg Peninsula.

Northern hopping mouse
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Notomys
Species:
N. aquilo
Binomial name
Notomys aquilo
Thomas, 1921

This mouse weighs 25 to 30 grams and is brown above and white below. Its long tail measures 150% of its body length and it has long hind feet up to 4 centimeters long.[1]

This species lives in sandy soils on heathlands and grasslands. It is nocturnal. It consumes seeds and sometimes other plant material and invertebrates.[1] The mouse hops, leaving bipedal tracks.[2] Several individuals live communally in burrows.[1][2]

Threats to this species include habitat alteration, such as changes in the fire regime and the effects of livestock. Feral cats watch the burrows and may consume several individuals in a night.[2]

References

  1. Notomys aquilo. Archived 2011-03-28 at the Wayback Machine Northern Territory Government Department of Natural Resources, Environment, and the Arts.
  2. Notomys aquilo. Archived 2011-08-16 at the Wayback Machine Queensland Government Environment and Resource Management.
  • Baillie, J. 1996. Notomys aquilo. 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 September 2011.
  • Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  • Jones, Ann (14 March 2015). "The engineering mouse builds its dream house". Off Track. ABC Radio National.
  • "Notomys aquilo". NCBI Taxonomy Browser. 442588.


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