List of rodents of Australia

This is the list of rodents of Australia.[1][2] Australia has a large number of indigenous rodents, all from the family Muridae. These are presumed to have arrived within the last 4 million years from Asia.[3] The black rat, brown rat, Pacific rat and house mouse were accidentally introduced to Australia with European settlement, as was a small population of the five-lined palm squirrel near Perth.

Old "endemics" *

Muridae

New "endemics" *

Muridae

Introduced

Muridae

Sciuridae
  • Five-lined palm squirrel¤, Funambulus pennantii
  • Grey squirrel¤, Sciurus carolinensis - now extinct in Australia

Notes

† Extinct

¤ Introduced

* Several of these species are not actually endemic to Australia, but to the Australasian realm, which includes Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. The headings "Old Endemics" and "New Endemics" are used here in that sense (after Strahan[4]).

See also

References
  1. Van Dyke, S. and Strahan, R. (eds.) (2008) The Mammals of Australia, Third Edition, New Holland / Queensland Museum, Brisbane ISBN 978-1-877069-25-3
  2. Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2001) A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia, Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0-19-550870-X
  3. Bill Breed., Fred Ford.,2007 native Mice and rats, Australian Natural History Series, CSIRO publications ISBN 978-0-643-09166-5
  4. Strahan, R. (ed.) (1995) The Mammals of Australia, Revised (second) Edition, Reed New Holland, Sydney ISBN 1-876334-88-6
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