Short-tailed Hopping Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Short-tailed Hopping Mouse (Notomys amplus) is an extinct species of mouse
from open stony (gibber) plains with desert
grasses, low shrub
s and sand ridges in the area around Charlotte Waters, near Alice Springs in Central Australia
. It weighed 80 grams. The last record is from June 1896. Only two complete specimens were collected, probably from Aborigines. It was largest of all Australian Hopping-mice recorded in Australia; at the weight of 100 g it was twice the mass of any other species of Hopping-mice. This species was predominantly brown in colour, its tail probably being as long as its body. The Short-tailed Hopping Mouse's decline was due to a number of factors, some of which were being hunted by predators such as foxes, cats and habitat alterations.
[May 2006] Threatened species of Northern Territory
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
from open stony (gibber) plains with desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
grasses, low shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and sand ridges in the area around Charlotte Waters, near Alice Springs in Central Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It weighed 80 grams. The last record is from June 1896. Only two complete specimens were collected, probably from Aborigines. It was largest of all Australian Hopping-mice recorded in Australia; at the weight of 100 g it was twice the mass of any other species of Hopping-mice. This species was predominantly brown in colour, its tail probably being as long as its body. The Short-tailed Hopping Mouse's decline was due to a number of factors, some of which were being hunted by predators such as foxes, cats and habitat alterations.
External source
- Northern Territory Government, Chris Pavey
[May 2006] Threatened species of Northern Territory