Two new species of mini mice discovered in Australia

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

Two new species of mini mice have been discovered Down Under.

Australia can now lay claim to two new species of native rodents after the discovery that there are three species of delicate mice rather than the previously thought one.

The aptly named delicate mouse was previously thought to be a single species spanning a massive stretch of the country from the Pilbara in Western Australia, across parts of the Northern Territory and through Queensland down to the New South Wales border.

New research from The Australian National University (ANU) has revealed that there are actually three different species of delicate mouse, which are difficult to tell apart for the untrained eye.

The team hopes that their findings will allow for better-informed conservation efforts to help protect these tiny mice.

Lead author Dr. Emily Roycroft said: "Thanks to new genetic technology, we’ve confirmed the delicate mouse is three species, not one.

“Identifying undescribed species and giving them official names goes a long way to making sure they're properly looked after.

"The two new species haven't had any conservation or research attention, because we didn’t know they were there.

"The delicate mouse has not been a conservation priority -- but that’s because it was thought to have a distribution three times larger than it actually does. This will allow us to reassess.”

The researchers note that these mice are very different from the mice you may see in your back garden for many reasons including their crucial contributions to the environment and their tiny size, weighing only six grams.

The study, published in Molecular Ecology, also found delicate mice are excellent adaptors to their environment, whether that be arid desert or forest.

Dr. Roycroft added: "House mice, black rats and brown rats are invasive species brought to Australia since European colonization.

"They're very different to native rodents, both evolutionary and ecologically. They compete with our native species for resources.

"Delicate mice are part of a group of native rodents that have been evolving in Australia for the last five million years. They’re a crucial part of Australia’s natural environment and ecosystems.

"Delicate mice are our smallest Australian rodent - they can weigh as little as six grams, so they're really tiny."

The three species will now go by common names that point to their location: the western delicate mouse or Pilbara delicate mouse, the eastern delicate mouse, and the northern delicate mouse.