Smoky Mouse (Pseudomys fumeus)

Description

The Smoky Mouse’s body is 9 cm long body and 14 cm long with tail.
They can live in many types of vegetation, including coastal heath, dry ridgeline forest, sub-alpine heath and fern gullies.
They shelter in ground cover such as grass tussocks, rocks, logs or low vegetation.
They feeds on seeds and fruit from legumes and epacris berries, underground truffle-like fungi and sometimes on bogong moths.
They live in colonies with 1 male and several females in burrows during the breeding season (spring and summer.
Females will produce 1 to 2 litters each year, of around 3 to 4 young.
They usually live up to 2 years.

This species was previously found across Victoria, NSW and the ACT but is now only found in Victoria and Southeast NSW.
The last live mouse sighted in ACT was in 1987 in Namadgi National Park. Some hair of 2 others has since been found in 1994.
There have been few records of Smoky Mouse in the ACT and they haven't been detected for over 30 years. They are a shy species, so may still be around the ACT in very low numbers.

The main threats for this population include:

predation by foxes, feral cats and wild dogs
habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation due to clearing and Cinnamon Fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi)
too frequent burning impacting habitat suitability and diversity of fungi
climate change exacerbating changing fire impacts of increasing frequency and intensity.

National – Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Australian Capital Territory – Endangered (Nature Conservation Act 2014).

Conservation actions aim to:

continue surveying to identify any populations of the mouse in the ACT
prevent road infrastructure in areas that the mouse may live in
control feral animals
consider the mouse in the Fire Management Plan that covers Namadgi National Park
work with other states and territories to research and understand the species.