Black-footed tree-rat

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

Species of mammal

title: "Black-footed tree-rat" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mesembriomys", "mammals-of-the-northern-territory", "mammals-of-queensland", "rodents-of-australia", "mammals-described-in-1843", "mammals-of-western-australia"] description: "Species of mammal" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_tree-rat" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of mammal ::

| name =Black-footed tree-rat | image = Black-footed Tree-rat.jpg | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Mesembriomys | species = gouldii | authority = (Gray, 1843) | synonyms = Hapalotis hirsutus Gould, 1842

The black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii), also known as Djintamoonga, is one of two endemic Australian rodent species in the genus Mesembriomys. Both the black-footed tree-rat and its congener, the golden-backed tree-rat (M. macrurus), are found in northern Australia. The species is one of the largest murids found in Australia.

Haematological and blood chemistry research has been performed on the black-footed tree-rat to aid in the captive and natural management of Australian native murids held in captivity for conservation purposes.

Description

The tree-rat has a greyish-brown coat that is shaggy and coarse and has a creamy white underbelly. The hind feet are black with well developed pads and strong sharp claws. They have large ears and a long tail with a brush of white hair at the tip.

Three subspecies of the black-footed tree-rat have been recognised, based on minor morphological differences in skull and foot shape, as well as variation in colouration. Research into the population genomics of the species agrees with the subspecific delimitation, with the Gulf of Carpentaria separating the Queensland subspecies from the other mainland subspecies found in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The third subspecies is found on Melville Island in the Northern Territory.

Behaviour

The black-footed tree-rat is typically solitary and nocturnal, although multiple individuals can sometimes be found denning in the same hollow or fallen log. Individuals are semi-arboreal, but spend time on the ground foraging or moving between trees. The species typically shelters in tree hollows (typically Eucalyptus miniata or E. tetrodonta) and pandanus stands during the day.

Individuals have a mean home range area of about 40 hectares, although this can vary considerably.

Feeding

It is a folivore and frugivore and its diet may be supplemented by invertebrates such as termites and molluscs.

Distribution

Mesembriomys gouldii has a range extending from the savannahs of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland westward to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Habitats such as tropical woodlands or open forest are suitable for the tree rat, although it persists well in the more complex coastal vine thickets and closed forests. It is not common in many areas and many geographic regions show substantial population declines. One study in the Northern Territory found that the extent of occurrence had declined by over 30% compared to the pre-European distribution, and that breadth of occupied environmental space had declined by over 40%. The same study observed that the species was contracting to areas of higher rainfall, milder temperatures, and higher vegetation complexity than it was present in historically.

Genetic estimation of effective population size trajectories in four black-footed tree-rat populations showed that most populations are undergoing severe declines, although the population around the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory appears to have been more stable.

The estimated global population is 30,000, although the distribution and density is poorly known in Western Australia and Queensland, where records are far more sparse.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

  • Topi Pigula http://zoommagazin.iprima.cz/priroda/vedci-jasaji-nad-obri-krysou-ma-cerne-tlapky-zije-na-stromech http://zoommagazin.iprima.cz/ Czech TV Prima ZOOM – article about endangered rat]
  • Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

References

  1. Woinarski, J.. (2016). "''Mesembriomys gouldii''".
  2. (2016). "Mesembriomys gouldii gouldii – Black-footed Tree-rat (Kimberley and mainland Northern Territory), Djintamoonga". [[Department of the Environment (Australia).
  3. (July 2014). "Black-footed tree-rats". [[Northern Territory Government]].
  4. (2016-09-02). "Haematology and serum biochemistry in captive Australian native murids: black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) and greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor)". SpringerPlus.
  5. (2013). "Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia". New Holland Publishers.
  6. (2023-03-10). "Population genomics and conservation management of the threatened black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) in northern Australia". Heredity.
  7. Penton, C. E.. (2020). "Overlapping den tree selection by three declining arboreal mammal species in an Australian tropical savanna". Journal of Mammalogy.
  8. Rankmore, Brooke. (2006). "Impacts of habitat fragmentation on the vertebrate fauna of the tropical savannas of Northern Australia; with special reference to medium-sized mammals".
  9. (2001). "Activity area and day-time tree use of the black-footed tree-rat Mesembriomys gouldii.". Australian Mammalogy.
  10. (2015). "Black-footed Tree-rat". [[Australian Wildlife Conservancy]].
  11. Brydie Hill. (2012). "Threatened Species of the Northern Territory – Mesembriomys gouldii". [[Northern Territory Government]].
  12. (2020). "Patterns of niche contraction identify vital refuge areas for declining mammals". Diversity and Distributions.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

mesembriomysmammals-of-the-northern-territorymammals-of-queenslandrodents-of-australiamammals-described-in-1843mammals-of-western-australia