The long-tailed hopping mouse (''Notomys longicaudatus'') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

. It was found only in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is known from a handful of specimens, the last of which was collected in 1901 or possibly 1902. It is presumed to have become extinct within a few decades from then – possibly several decades in view of a skull fragment found in an owl pellet in 1977. The cause of extinction is unknown, but may be a variety of factors including predation and habitat alteration. Little is known of its biology other than that it dug burrows in stiff clay soils. It was less a pest to humans than other hopping mice, although it would eat raisins. The mouse was mainly gray in colour with small pink ears and big eyes with a long hairy pink tail about two inches longer than its own body. It was first described by

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...

on the basis of specimens sent to him from Australia.

Taxonomy

The specimens were obtained in 1843 by John Gilbert. Gilbert sent five specimens that he collected to John Gould, who published the description as ''Notomys longicaudatus''. The first specimen was discovered near

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

, while Gilbert was on a scientific expedition to Australia.

Description

The average adult would measure about 10–11 inches, according to official measurement by John Gould. The body without the tail would be about 4 inches in length in adults. The tail without the body would be about 6–7 inches in length in adults. The mouse had a grey coat with pink ears, large black eyes, and a long pink tail with bristles of hair on it. Unlike its relatives such as the short-tailed hopping mouse, the great hopping mouse, and the

Mitchell's hopping mouse Mitchell's hopping mouse (''Notomys mitchellii'') also known as the pankot, is the largest extant member of the genus ''Notomys'', weighing between . ''N. mitchellii'' is a bipedal rodent with large back legs, similar to a jerboa or kangaroo rat. ...

, the long-tailed hopping mouse was small compared to its long tail.

Diet

The diet of the long-tailed hopping mouse consisted of fruits, grain, and plants. According to John Gould, the long-tailed hopping mouse liked raisins very much, but it was not considered a pest like its relatives. Long-tailed hopping mice would stay near farms and grocery stores because of the decrease in food the rapid populating was causing.

Distribution and habitat

The long-tailed hopping mouse's habitat was in inland Australia. It ranged in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, New South WalesEllis, M. (1995). A discussion of the large extinct rodents of Mootwingee National Park, western New South Wales. Australian Zoologist. 30:1-4. and

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. It preferred dry humid areas where there was greenery with it. The long-tailed hopping mouse dug burrows in clay-like ground and would use the excess soil to build layers above the ground to collect dew and moisture in the morning so it would have some type of water source.

Decrease and extinction

It was not until the 1890s that the long-tailed hopping mouse was considered endangered. The last known report of a live long-tailed hopping mouse was in 1901, when a captive individual died at an Adelaide scientific lab. The theory of the long-tailed hopping mouse's extinction was that it became extinct either due to rapid population increases in its habitat or because of over-hunting by

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

, wild cats,

thylacine The thylacine (; binomial name ''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, was a carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmani ...

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

s, and

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s. Although the long-tailed hopping mouse has been considered extinct since 1901, a skeleton was discovered near

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...

in 1944, and a skeleton of a long-tailed hopping mouse was discovered in an owl pellet in 1977. Although those two specimens have been discovered, it will not be considered still living until a live specimen is captured.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q596226 Notomys Mammals of Western Australia Extinct rodents Extinct mammals of Australia Extinct mammals of South Australia Mammals of the Northern Territory Mammals of New South Wales Rodents of Australia Rodent extinctions since 1500 Mammals described in 1844 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot