Pseudomys fieldi (Shark Bay mouse). Source: Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Photographer: Wayne Lawler
Pseudomys fieldi (Shark Bay mouse). Source: Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Photographer: Wayne Lawler - An Australian mammal thought to have been wiped out over 150 years ago can now be crossed off our list of extinct animals, following a new study. Researchers compared DNA samples from eight extinct Australian rodents, as well as 42 of their living relatives, to look at the decline of native species since the arrival of Europeans in Australia. The study showed the extinct Gould's mouse was indistinguishable from the Shark Bay mouse, still found on several small islands off the coast of Western Australia. According to lead author Dr Emily Roycroft from The Australian National University (ANU), the result is both exciting and sobering. "The resurrection of this species brings good news in the face of the disproportionally high rate of native rodent extinction, making up 41 per cent of Australian mammal extinction since European colonisation in 1788," Dr Roycroft said.
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