Short-tailed Hopping Mouse

The short-tailed hopping mouse (Notomys amplus) is an extinct species of mouse in the family Muridae, endemic to the central and western arid zones of Australia. It inhabited open stony (gibber) plains with desert grasses, low shrubs and sand ridges in the area around Charlotte Waters, near Alice Springs in Central Australia. The last record is from June 1896. Only two complete specimens were collected, probably from Aboriginal Australians. It was among the largest Australian hopping mice, with an estimated body mass of around 80 grams, roughly twice that of extant species, although fossil evidence suggests the extinct great hopping mouse may have been of similar size. The short-tailed hopping mouse was predominantly brown in color, its tail probably being as long as its body. This species' decline was due to a number of factors, some of which were being hunted by predators such as foxes, cats and habitat alterations.