SPECIES: Pseudomys oralis — Hastings River Mouse, Koontoo
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
As reads the story for so many of our small native species, the Hastings River Mouse, not long ago, was thought to be extinct. It's medium-sized, with long, soft brownish-grey fur and a white-grey belly, has a rounded nose and prominent, dark eyes.
The Hastings River Mouse now survives across patchy distrubtion in eastern Australia. Nocturnal and active of a nighttime, during the day they shelter in hollow logs, tree hollows, under rockpiles or even underground. Sadly, their population is declining and contracting, threatened by loss of habitat - land clearing, grazing, logging and fire, and predation by foxes and cats.
Photo: Doug Becker