Cockatoo mouse
| Cockatoo mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudomys calabyi | ||||||||||||
| Kitchener & Humphreys , 1987 |
The cockatoo mouse ( Pseudomys calabyi ) is a rodent belonging to the genus Australian mice . This species was discovered in 1973 and scientifically described in 1987. The type epithet honors the Australian biologist John Henry Calaby (1922–1998).
features
The cockatoo mouse reaches a head-trunk length of 75 to 95 mm, a tail length of 70 to 95 mm, a hind foot length of 17 to 19 mm, an ear length of 13 to 14 mm and a weight of 15 to 24 g. The females have four belly teats. The head is long and flat. The top and face are gray-brown. The top of the head is gray. The flanks and rump are sand-colored. The underside, chin, sides of the muzzle, and the top of the feet are white. The eyes are big. The tail is pinkish brown with black hair along the top.
Occurrence
The cockatoo mouse is only known from the headwaters of the South Alligator River and the Mary River in the south of Kakadu National Park and from Litchfield National Park in the Australian Northern Territory .
habitat
The cockatoo-mouse inhabits gravel slopes with woodland dominated by trees like Eucalyptus dichromophloia and Eucalyptus tintinnans as well as tall grasses.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the cockatoo mouse. The species looks for shelter in buildings whose entrances are surrounded by pebbles and later closed with small gravel mounds. In captive animals there were seven litters with 22 pups over a period of nine months. The diet consists mainly of grass seeds.
status
The cockatoo mouse is restricted to a fairly small range. The IUCN classifies the species in the category "endangered" ( vulnerable ). Fires are the main hazard.
literature
- 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 .