Northern Hopping-mouse
Notomys aquilo
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Endangered
Listed since: 26/03/2021
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Endangered
Listed since: 29/05/2015
Population trend: Decreasing
Other names: Woorrentinta
Priority Species? Yes
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 Northern Hopping-mouse is a small, nocturnal terrestrial rodent with a distinctive gait and its bipedal tracks can provide a sign of its presence. It's diet consists mostly of seeds and plant stems as well as some invertebrates. They construct complex burrow systems in deep sandy soils for shelter.
Threats
As Groote Eylandt is the only place where the species has been confirmed to occur over the last 25 years, the threats, corresponding conservation actions and threat status for the species focuses on Groote Eylandt, noting the possibility that the species does persist on the mainland. Their threats are predation by feral cats, habitat loss and alteration, inappropriate fire regimes and grazing and trampling by introduced herbivores.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
52
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.