Three fat-tailed mice a find for Queensland

The Sandstone Antechinus, pictured after a thorough feeding-up at the Queensland Museum. Note the swollen carrot-shaped tail: this species stores food in its tail, allowing it to gorge in good conditions. Photo: Bruce Cowell, courtesy of Queensland Museum

The state of Queensland is now the proud owner of a new mammal: the Fat-tailed Sandstone Antechinus. Tropical Savannas CRC researcher Tony Griffiths (CSIRO W&E) found the marsupial mouse far from its known habitat of central and western Australia during a recent fauna survey in the Mount Isa region for MIM. ( See link to this story below. )

"These are the first records in Queensland of this species, and probably represent a range extension of 500 km," said Tony who found three juvenile mice (Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis) in blistering heat late November last year. One has since made a trip to Brisbane and is now a resident of the Queensland Museum.

Not a great deal is known about this marsupial except that like others of its ilk it uses its tail for storing food during good conditions, resulting in a swollen carrot-shaped tail.

By storing food in its tail the animal can gorge food in good conditions, allowing it a reserve to fall back on during the bad.

Both Tony and the museum scientists believe that the mouse has probably always been in Queensland. Tony explained that the research in the Mount Isa Region had generally been unsystematic and dispersed over a huge area.