Pseudomys novaehollandiae
| New Holland mouse | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Pseudomys |
| Species: | P. novaehollandiae |
| Binomial name | |
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Pseudomys novaehollandiae (Waterhouse, 1843) |
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The New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It was first described by George Waterhouse in 1843. It vanished from view for over a century before its rediscovery in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney in 1967. It is found only in south east Australia, within the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania.
The New Holland Mouse has a grey-brown fur with a dusky-brown tail, which is darker on the dorsal side. Its body length is roughly 65-90mm, with a tail length of 80-105mm, and a hind foot length of approximately 20-22mm. The New Holland Mouse’s size has been shown to vary slightly depending on the environment. Populations of New Holland Mice that live in Tasmania, have a slightly larger body weight than those that are from New South Wales and Victoria. Despite this, however, the head shape and length share the measurements as in Tasmania, New South Wales, and Victoria.
It has also been noted that the New Holland Mouse looks very similar to the common house Mouse, which was introduced to the area by European settlers. It can be differentiated from the common house mouse however by its ears and eyes, which are slightly larger than the common house mouse. Also, the New Holland Mouse lacks the presence of a notch on the upper incisors and a distinctive ‘mousy’ odor.
The New Holland Mouse is a nocturnal species prone to environments such as woodlands, forests with a heathland understorey and vegetated sand dunes, and open heathlands. The New Holland Mouse is a social species. They live in burrows that are carved out by colonies of mice in softer sands.[1]
The New Holland Mouse has been shown to increase in prominence promptly after a wild fire or sand mining has occurred; usually two to three years afterwards. The species is most common during the early/mid portions of vegetation succession. In Tasmania however, they have been found in areas that contained vegetation as far as 16 years post fire.[2]
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