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alexis
cervinus
fuscus
mitchelli
aquillo
longicaudatus
amplus
macrotis
mordax
sp.
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A hopping-mouse is any of about ten different Australian native mice in the genus Notomys. They are rodents, not marsupials, and their ancestors are thought to have arrived from Asia about 5 million years ago.
All are brown or fawn, fading to pale grey or white underneath, have very long tails and, as the common name implies, well-developed hind legs. Around half of the hopping mouse species have become extinct since European colonisation. The primary cause is probably predation from introduced foxes) or cats, coupled with competition for food from introduced rabbits) and cattle.
- Spinifex Hopping Mouse (Notomys alexis)
- The Fawn Hopping Mouse (Notomys cervinus) is found on the sparsely vegetated arid gibber plain s and claypans of the Lake Eyre BasinThe Lake Eyre Basin drains about one sixth of Australia. It is the largest internal drainage system in the world, and covers roughly 1. 2 million square kilometres, including much of inland Queensland, large portions of South Australia and the Northern Te. Small at around 30 to 50 g, and light in colour, it is gregarious and feeds at night on seeds, insects, and green shoots, not needing to drink water. It is classed as vulnerable.
- Some small Dusky Hopping MouseDusky Hopping Mouse : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Eutheria : Rodentia : Muridae Notomys fuscus Binomial name ''Notomys fuscus''Jones, 1925 The Dusky Hopping Mouse Notomys fuscus is an Australian native rodent specialised for the deep desert. Like all (Notomys fuscus) populations retain a slender hold on existence in the Strzelecki Desert . They feed, mostly on seeds, at night and shelter in deep vertical burrows.
- Mitchell's Hopping Mouse (Notomys mitchelli)
- Northern Hopping Mouse (Notomys aquilo)
- Long-tailed Hopping Mouse (Notomys longicaudatus)
- The extinct Short-tailed Hopping Mouse (Notomys amplus) was the largest species at around 100 g.
- The extinct Big-eared Hopping Mouse (Notomys macrotis) is known only from two incomplete specimens collected about 100 km north of Perth in the 1840sEvents and Trends First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. The treaty between the British Crown and Maori made New Zealand a British colony and is considered the founding point of modern N. It was similar to the Fawn Hopping-mouse of Central Australia but a little larger at around 55 g with a heavier build and longer feet.
- The Darling Downs Hopping Mouse (Notomys mordax) is almost certainly extinct and is known only from a single skull collected somewhere on the Darling DownsThe Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. It is in the drainage basin of the Condamine River and its tributaries. The landscape is dominated by rolling hills covered by pastu of south-east QueenslandQueensland State flag ( In detail) Coat of Arms ( In detail) Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie Area — Land — Marine — Total 1 730 648 km˛ 121 994 km˛ 1 852 642 km˛ Population (2002) Density 3 729 000 2. 15/km˛ Time zone U in the 1840sEvents and Trends First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. The treaty between the British Crown and Maori made New Zealand a British colony and is considered the founding point of modern N, apparently from a creature similar to Mitchell's Hopping-mouse. The introduction of cattle to the Darling Downs has greatly changed the ecology of the region, and seen several other species exterminated or seriously threatened. (See Paradise ParrotParadise Parrot : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Psittaciformes : Psittacidae Psephotus pulcherrimus Binomial name Psephotus pulcherrimus Gould, 1845) The Paradise Parrot Psephotus pulcherrimus was an unusually colourful medium-sized parrot native to the gr and Yaminon.)
- The Great Hopping Mouse (Notomys sp.) is extinct. It is known only from skulls found in owl pellets in the Flinders Ranges . Some pellets also include bones of the introduced House Mouse—indicating that it survived into historic times, possibly the second half of the 19th century. From the skull, it appears to have been relatively large (perhaps the size of N. amplus or a little more) and to have escaped collection by early 19th century naturalists by chance. From the location of the deposits it is assumed that it preferred clay rather than sandy soils. It is notable that very few of the clay-living hopping mice have survived European settlement, sand dunes apparently providing a more secure refuge from competitors and predators. Some authorities name it the Broad Cheeked Hopping-mouse.
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