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Mitchell's hopping mouse - NOTOMYS MITCHELLII
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Mouse": "Mouse" comes from the Old English word
"mus," for the animal.
Location: Southern Australia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Plains and grasslands with sandy soil.
Description: The short, soft pelage is invariably pale in color, either sand-colored or pale brown, with the underside of the body grayish. The tail has a dark tuft of hair at the tip, and the large ears are a distinctive feature. The hind legs are slender and long. Length of head and body up to five inches, tail up to six inches, weight up to two ounces.
Behavior: This mouse lives in a burrow that it digs in sandy soil. A tunnel leads from the entrance downward at an angle of about forty degrees for about five feet and ends in a chamber where there is a nest lined with leaves and grass. Another tunnel leads from the nest towards the exit almost vertically. Several exit tunnels may occur in one burrow. The mouse feeds on various plant materials. It normally walks on all four legs, but if alarmed it makes impressive hops over considerable distances. It can also hop sideways. It is nocturnal and by day remains hidden in its burrow, which it often shares with the two species of marsupial mouse.
Reproduction: After six to seven weeks of gestation, one to five sparsely furred young are born. Their eyes open by day 20, and weaning may occur at about day 30. Females can breed at about three months.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Mouse Index to study other
mice.
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