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The desert mouse (''Pseudomys desertor''), also known as the brown desert mouse, is a species of
The desert mouse has bright chestnut brown fur above, interspersed with long dark guard hairs which give it a spiny appearance. Its belly fur is a light grey-brown. The tail looks scaly and slightly bi-coloured, with length equal to or shorter than the animal's head-body length. A defining feature of the desert mouse is its pale orange eye-ring, which may be used to distinguish it from the Western chestnut mouse ''Pseudomys nanus'' where their habitat overlaps in the northern
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 endemic to 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 ...
. The first desert mouse specimen was collected by Australian zoologist Gerard Krefft
Johann Ludwig (Louis) Gerard Krefft (17 February 1830 – 19 February 1881), a talented artist and draughtsman, and the Curator of the Australian Museum for 13 years (1861-1874), was one of Australia's first and most influential zoologists and ...
on the Blandowski Expedition in 1856-57, between Gol Gol Creek and the Darling River
The Darling River ( Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka'') is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its conflu
ence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longes ...
.
Description
The desert mouse has bright chestnut brown fur above, interspersed with long dark guard hairs which give it a spiny appearance. Its belly fur is a light grey-brown. The tail looks scaly and slightly bi-coloured, with length equal to or shorter than the animal's head-body length. A defining feature of the desert mouse is its pale orange eye-ring, which may be used to distinguish it from the Western chestnut mouse ''Pseudomys nanus'' where their habitat overlaps in the northern Tanami Desert
The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia, situated in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
It has a rocky terrain with small hills, and cacti. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored b ...
.
Typical measurements for the desert mouse are 70–105 mm for head-body length, and 67–103 mm for tail length. Weight is between 15-35 g.
Distribution and habitat
Widespread throughout the arid zone of Australia, the desert mouse also inhabits in the north drysavanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
h region of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. Its preferred habitat ranges from sand dunes with spinifex to rocky hillsides, which it uses to create shallow burrows.
Fossilized remains of the desert mouse have been found from Cape Range National Park
Cape Range National Park is a national park in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The park occupies the western side of the North West Cape peninsula over an area of . The nearest town is Exmouth. Directly off the coast i ...
and the Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...
in Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, to the northern Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.
The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...
of South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, and Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...
in New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. When combined with modern records, these fossil records suggest that the species once had an even more extensive range across arid Australia.
Behaviour
Diet
Predominantly afolivore
In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less energy than other types of foods, and often toxic compounds.Jones, S., Martin, R., & Pilbeam, D. (1 ...
, the desert mouse has also been known to eat seeds and invertebrates when leaves and shoots are less widely available. Laboratory studies of the desert mouse have found its water requirements to be quite low.
Reproduction
The reproduction rate of the desert mouse is very high, even when compared with other species in thePseudomys
''Pseudomys'' is a genus of rodent that contains a wide variety of mice native to Australia and New Guinea. They are among the few terrestrial placental mammals that colonised Australia without human intervention.
Natural history
This genus con ...
genus. This allows populations to increase rapidly after periods of suitable rainfall. Females are sexually receptive and fertile in a 7-9 day cycle. The gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...
period lasts 27–28 days, with an average litter size of three pups who will themselves become reproductively mature at about ten weeks.
Threats
The desert mouse appears to be less common in areas affected by fire or grazing. Other threats are posed by introduced species, such as predation by foxes and feral cats, competition from other herbivores like thehouse mouse
The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...
''(Mus musculus)'', and habitat alteration by exotic grasses in Queensland.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1065679 Pseudomys Mammals of Western Australia Mammals of South Australia Mammals of the Northern Territory Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Rodents of Australia Mammals described in 1932 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot