The country mouse (''Pseudomys patrius'') also known as the pebble-mound mouse or eastern pebble mound mouse AUSTRALIANFAUNA.COM 190
Eastern Pebble-mound Mouse (Pseudomys patrius)
is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...

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 com ...

. It lives only in Australia, where it is considered rare. It was described by Thomas and Dollman in 1909. Like other pebble-mound mice, it is known for building shallow

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of s ...

s with

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

s of

pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predomina ...

s surrounding the entrances. This function is understood to be protective and collects dew. In Queensland the observed mounds in coastal areas are smaller than in drier habitats, reflecting the need to collect more of the scarcer water. The mouse lines the

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

walls with pebbles for insulation and protection. It plugs smaller openings to the burrow system with a pebble, camouflaging the entrance, and unplugs it to exit in times of danger.

References

* Pseudomys Mammals described in 1909 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Mammals of Queensland Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Pseudomys-stub