Big Eared Hopping Mouse (Notomys macrotis)
The big eared hopping mouse was a small rodent resembling a tiny kangaroo about the size of a rat. The mouse had large eyes and ears with a brush-tipped tail. It moved on its four legs when moving slowly or by hopping on its large, padded hind feet when moving quickly. Their habitat is believed to have been the sand dunes of Western Australia.
We only know about the Big Eared Hopping Mouse from two damaged specimens. The last record of the animal dates from July 19, 1843, and was collected in Perth around the Moore River and King George’s Sound.
There are believed to have been many contributing factors to the extinction of macrotis: the introduction of nonnative species – particularly cats; exotic diseases; habitat loss and degradation; resource depletion due to livestock and feral herbivores. The systematic destruction of their burrows, resources, food supply, and the animals themselves lead to the species’ extinction.