Big-eared bumpkin
| Big-eared bumpkin | ||||||||||||
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| Notomys macrotis | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1921 |
The big-eared bouncy mouse ( Notomys macrotis ) is an extinct rodent belonging to the genus of the Australian bouncy mice ( Notomys ). The Aborigines called it noompa .
description
This rodent reached a head-trunk length of 118 mm. The tail length was approximately 140 mm. The length of the hind legs was approximately 40 mm and the length of the ears 26 mm. The weight was about 55 g. The species looked very similar to the fawn Australian jumping mouse ( Notomys cervinus ), but had larger hind feet and was therefore reminiscent of a small kangaroo . The back was gray-brown and the underside white.
distribution
The only known habitat was the area around the Moore River in Western Australia . They inhabited sand dunes , heathland , meadows and light forests .
die out
The big-eared jumping mouse is only known from two stuffed specimens that are badly damaged today. They are in the Natural History Museum in London . One of these animals was caught in July 1843 by the British naturalist John Gilbert , who was working for John Gould at the time and was killed by Aborigines during an expedition in 1845 . The exact reasons for the extinction of the great-eared mouse remain unclear to this day. As is the case with many bouncy mouse species that have become extinct in Australia, the main causes are likely to be the progressive agriculture and the persecution by introduced mammals such as foxes and feral domestic cats .
literature
- Tim Flannery , Peter Schouten : A Gap in Nature. Discovering the World's Extinct Mammals. Heinemann, London 2002, ISBN 0-434-00819-2 .
- Peter Menkhorst: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne et al. 2001, ISBN 0-19-550870-X .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Notomys macrotis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006 Posted by: J. Baille, 1996. Retrieved on October 29 of 2006.