Dusky Hopping-mouse
Notomys fuscus
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 26/03/2008
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 31/12/2012
Population trend: Unknown
Other names: Wilkiniti
Priority Species? No
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
The Dusky Hopping-mouse is an attractive rodent with long, rounded, furless ears and prominent dark eyes. The Dusky Hopping-mouse inhabits arid areas of Australia with sand dunes or sand plains with hummocks and water nearby and eats seed, green plants and some insects and small lizards. They live in groups of up to five in one or two burrows with a series of entrances ('pop holes') leading to chambers and tunnels up to one metre below the surface. The species is nocturnal, sheltering in deep burrows during the day.
Threats
The main threats facing the Dusky Hopping-mouse is overgrazing by stock, rabbits and the house mouse and predation by feral cats and foxes.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
51
To help compare the relative vulnerability of different species, we have developed a scoring system based on biological and ecological characteristics that influence a species' ability to survive and recover from environmental change and natural disasters.
The framework is adapted from assessment methods used by conservation experts following the Black Summer bushfires to help identify species most in need of conservation action, research, and recovery funding.
Each species is assessed using a range of factors, including its conservation status, lifespan, reproductive rate, habitat and dietary requirements, ability to disperse or recover after fire, and the number and severity of threats it faces.
In general, the higher a species' score, the greater its overall vulnerability and risk of decline or extinction.
Like all conservation assessments, this scoring system is limited by the information currently available. Many threatened species remain poorly studied and receive limited research funding, meaning some assessments rely on the best available scientific knowledge or information from closely related species. As new research becomes available, scores may be updated to reflect our improved understanding.