Scientific Name: Notomys alexis

A small, endearing rodent with large ears and prominent black eyes. The fur is a fawn brown colour above with a white underside, occasionally with a greyish tinge. The tail is long and thin and terminates with a sparse tuft of hair. While the front legs are small, the hind pair are strong and muscular and provide tremendous propulsion enabling the mouse to rapidly escape danger with long hops.

Did You Know? Spinifex hopping mice live in small social groups with several individuals often sharing a burrow system. These burrows may extend over a metre down into the ground and have several vertical shafts extending to the surface.

Habitat: Common throughout the central interior of Australia and extending west to the coast of Western Australia, the spinifex hopping mouse inhabits sandy areas dominated by grasses, especially spinifex. They escape the heat of the day by living in a complex network of underground burrows where the temperature remains cool and the air humid even in the scorching summer heat. They are nocturnal in their activity patterns emerging at dusk to forage for food on the desert floor.

Diet: Although the majority of their diet consists of vegetable matter, particularly grass seeds, roots and new shoots, they will also tackle and consume fairly large insects from time to time. Water is not required as all of their moisture requirements is obtained from their food.

Reproduction: Young spinifex hopping mice are able to breed at around three months of age and breeding will take place at any time provided food is in good supply. After a pregnancy of about a month, the female will give birth to a relatively small litter of three or four babies.