Help with identifying fauna.

Location: Far north Qld coast (cairns)

Small burrow entrance at the junction of my little garden and porch (tiled concrete slab on ground), not sure how far under or where it goes too.
Entrance size: 7-8cm wide x 5-6cm high.

I’ve only seen the creature briefly, both during the night and day time.
Moves very quickly
Approximate size: 6cm long (nose – tail) by 3-4cm wide by 4cm high
Light/medium brown fur
Round ears, seem large for it’s body size
Possibly larger hind legs (not sure)
Appearance is similar to a large mouse.

That’s all I can think of which might help identify this little creature.

Photos of the burrow entrance:

looking down onto the top

looking sideways into entrance which appears to follow just underneath the slab/porch

Antechinus.

Search this as a possiblity: Pogonomys mollipilosus image

There’s a good description of Antechinus at the bottom of this page:

http://australianmuseum.net.au/is-it-a-rat

Michael V said:

Search this as a possiblity: Pogonomys mollipilosus image

Australia has the cutest rodents.

waves to Aquila :)

Bit hard to see in the photos but are they conical in shape…

Could be small Bandicoot.

Spider Lily said:

waves to Aquila :)

Bit hard to see in the photos but are they conical in shape…

Could be small Bandicoot.

Bettongs have over-length back legs.

No, no, no. Don’t mention Fawlty Towers, Manuel and Basil.

kii said:

No, no, no. Don’t mention Fawlty Towers, Manuel and Basil.

¿que?

Could also be a Melomy although I’m not sure they come that far down the coast. I’m only aware of them in the rainforest areas :)

Tamb said:

kii said:

No, no, no. Don’t mention Fawlty Towers, Manuel and Basil.

¿que?

Is not a rat, Mr Fawlty! Is hamster.

Due to the animals small size, it cannot be a bandicoot (even a small one), even Antechinus are larger, plus generally make nests above ground in vegetation or tree hollows. If it is not a House Mouse, the only common animal in the area of that size and appearance, plus constructs burrows, is the Delicate Mouse Pseudomys delicatulus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_native_mouse

kii said:

Tamb said:

kii said:

No, no, no. Don’t mention Fawlty Towers, Manuel and Basil.

¿que?

Is not a rat, Mr Fawlty! Is hamster.

Oh! d-rat!

PermeateFree said:

Due to the animals small size, it cannot be a bandicoot (even a small one), even Antechinus are larger, plus generally make nests above ground in vegetation or tree hollows. If it is not a House Mouse, the only common animal in the area of that size and appearance, plus constructs burrows, is the Delicate Mouse Pseudomys delicatulus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_native_mouse

Dunnarts are about the right size.

Tamb said:

PermeateFree said:

Due to the animals small size, it cannot be a bandicoot (even a small one), even Antechinus are larger, plus generally make nests above ground in vegetation or tree hollows. If it is not a House Mouse, the only common animal in the area of that size and appearance, plus constructs burrows, is the Delicate Mouse Pseudomys delicatulus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_native_mouse

Dunnarts are about the right size.

Dunnarts are also larger and generally don’t dig burrows.

http://www.wettropics.gov.au/site/user-assets/docs/46RodentsOfTheWetTropics.pdf

> That’s all I can think of which might help identify this little creature.

There was a study on TV not long ago where people who had mouse/rat-like animals in the back yard asked for help in identification. Results were that most were brown rat, but there were three australian natives among the 20 or so families in the study, from memory an antechinus, bandicoot and dunnart?

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

mollwollfumble said:

> That’s all I can think of which might help identify this little creature.

There was a study on TV not long ago where people who had mouse/rat-like animals in the back yard asked for help in identification. Results were that most were brown rat, but there were three australian natives among the 20 or so families in the study, from memory an antechinus, bandicoot and dunnart?

I need to see the animal or get a description of it before I can offer anything to the argument.

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

>>from where I was sitting on my porsche.

well lah-di-dah…

:P

is it possible to set up a webcam? or recording device?

stumpy_seahorse said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

>>from where I was sitting on my porsche.

well lah-di-dah…

:P

is it possible to set up a webcam? or recording device?

It is possible, apart from expensive.

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

You’ll want to watch that sitting on the porsche. You might dent it.

Michael V said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

You’ll want to watch that sitting on the porsche. You might dent it.

;)

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

> That’s all I can think of which might help identify this little creature.

There was a study on TV not long ago where people who had mouse/rat-like animals in the back yard asked for help in identification. Results were that most were brown rat, but there were three australian natives among the 20 or so families in the study, from memory an antechinus, bandicoot and dunnart?

I need to see the animal or get a description of it before I can offer anything to the argument.

Here it is. Mr Fawlty caught it.

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

You might want to set up a camera to achieve that. Might not get a good sighting otherwise with their sharp hearing and timid nature.

stumpy_seahorse said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

It does seem to exhibit marsupial type behaviour, rather than rodent behaviour.
I’ve only seen it rocket into the little burrow on one occasion, which was at night, and the closest I’ve seen it, approximately 1.2 metres from where I was sitting on my porsche.

thanks for the info :)

>>from where I was sitting on my porsche.

well lah-di-dah…

:P

is it possible to set up a webcam? or recording device?

LOL
That’s meant to be be ‘porch’…..but hey.. :D

The habitat seems ideal for antechinus in my area, plus there are no known cats in my neigbourhood

Antechinus Go Out With a Bang

Postpocelipse said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

You might want to set up a camera to achieve that. Might not get a good sighting otherwise with their sharp hearing and timid nature.

sight can be as good as any, if there is a known recognisable feature. ie: a black rat, Rattus rattus, is the only rat in Australia with a tail longer than its body.

Postpocelipse said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

You might want to set up a camera to achieve that. Might not get a good sighting otherwise with their sharp hearing and timid nature.

Yeah man, it’s a good idea, unfortunately I don’t have suitable equipment for that.

Aquila said:

Postpocelipse said:

Aquila said:

Hi folks

From what I can work out, it could be one of those antechinus marsupials.
But I can’t be 100% sure, until I can get a better sighting…..hopefully

You might want to set up a camera to achieve that. Might not get a good sighting otherwise with their sharp hearing and timid nature.

Yeah man, it’s a good idea, unfortunately I don’t have suitable equipment for that.

from your description, it sounds like you would be able to catch it in a non-lethal mouse trap.
catch -> photograph -> release

You could put some rodent food outside the burrow and sit on (or in) your Porsche until it comes for a nibble.

stumpy_seahorse said:

Aquila said:

Postpocelipse said:

You might want to set up a camera to achieve that. Might not get a good sighting otherwise with their sharp hearing and timid nature.

Yeah man, it’s a good idea, unfortunately I don’t have suitable equipment for that.

from your description, it sounds like you would be able to catch it in a non-lethal mouse trap.
catch -> photograph -> release

A quicker way is to place some grain like oats near the hole. The rodent will eat it, but the Antechinus being insectivorous will not.

PermeateFree said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Aquila said:

Yeah man, it’s a good idea, unfortunately I don’t have suitable equipment for that.

from your description, it sounds like you would be able to catch it in a non-lethal mouse trap.
catch -> photograph -> release

A quicker way is to place some grain like oats near the hole. The rodent will eat it, but the Antechinus being insectivorous will not.

yeah but what is stopping something else from eating it?

roughbarked said:

PermeateFree said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

from your description, it sounds like you would be able to catch it in a non-lethal mouse trap.
catch -> photograph -> release

A quicker way is to place some grain like oats near the hole. The rodent will eat it, but the Antechinus being insectivorous will not.

yeah but what is stopping something else from eating it?

a small sign saying “POISON!”

roughbarked said:

PermeateFree said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

from your description, it sounds like you would be able to catch it in a non-lethal mouse trap.
catch -> photograph -> release

A quicker way is to place some grain like oats near the hole. The rodent will eat it, but the Antechinus being insectivorous will not.

yeah but what is stopping something else from eating it?

It will still indicate if there is a rodent there. And if some oats are dropped into the hole, the rodent living there the most likely eating it.