The silky mouse (''Pseudomys apodemoides'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

. It is found only in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

The body and head of silky mice tend to be between 65-80 millimeters, with their tail length ranging from 90-110 millimeters. They tend to weigh between 16-22 grams. They have light brown and grey fur on their backs, and white fur on their bellies.

Habitat

Silky mice are native to Australia, specifically south-eastern Australia (western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

). They live in sandy

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

lands near plants such as banksias, tea-trees,

broombush ''Melaleuca uncinata'', commonly known as broombush, broom honeymyrtle or brushwood, is a plant in the paperbark family native to southern Australia. It is harvested from the wild, and grown in plantations, for broombush fencing. The Noongar nam ...

and mallee eucalypts, which they use to shelter the entrance to their burrows. These mice will dig complex burrows about 2 cm in diameter with multiple tunnels and chambers. In order to support their heavily

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

diet, they need a high plant diversity in their habitat consisting of plants which will bloom and bear fruit throughout the entire year. Silky mice are negatively affected by intensely high temperatures and water shortages.

Behavior and Ecology

Silky mice are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

creatures that rest in their burrows during the day, and go searching for seeds, nectar, flowers, and fruit at night. While they are primarily herbivores, silky mice sometimes consume

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...

es in the winter in order to supplement their diet. Silky mice are able to breed anytime throughout the year, but usually do so when food conditions are favorable. They tend to have two to five young per litter and they are able to birth successive litters. The Silky mouse tends to live up to two years.

Endangerment

Many pieces of environmental legislation has been passed to preserve the species, such as the

Threatened Species Conservation Act Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

(1995), the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), the National Parks and Wildlife Act (1974), the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979), and the Native Vegetation Conservation Act (1998). One of the largest threats to the silky mouse population is the destruction of habitat, from both human building and from damage to regional flora due to fires. However, the population has been on a rebound and it is no longer considered endangered, but threatened because it lives in such a specific area.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1768973 Pseudomys Mammals of South Australia Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Rodents of Australia Mammals described in 1932 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot