Bramble Cay melomys
| Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Melomys |
| Species: | M. rubicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Melomys rubicola Thomas, 1924 | |
The Bramble Cay melomys, or Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys rubicola), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is similar to the Cape York melomys[2] except that it has some protein differences and a coarser tail caused by elevated scales. It is most prominent in herdfields and strandline vegetation where it builds burrows.
Australia's most isolated mammal, the Bramble Cay melomys is known only from a small population in Bramble Cay, a vegetated coral cay of 340 by 150 metres (1,120 ft × 490 ft).[3] As of January 2015 it has not been seen since 2007, despite a search by a team of scientists; it may be extinct.[4]
References
- ↑ Leary, T., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Wright, D. & Thomson, B. (2008). Melomys rubicola. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2008-10-10. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR D v3.1)
- ↑ Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ "Queensland Government, Environment and Resource management". 2 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-04-27.
- ↑ Kim, Milena; Pressey, Bob (14 January 2015). "Another Australian animal slips away to extinction". The Conversation. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
See also
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 15, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.