Country mouse

For country mice in fables and proverbs, see The Country Mouse and the City Mouse (disambiguation).

The country mouse (Pseudomys patrius) also known as the pebble-mound mouse ^[2] or eastern pebble mound mouse ^[3] is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives only in Australia, where it is considered rare. It was described by Thomas and Dollman in 1909.^[3]

Country mouse
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Muridae
Genus:	Pseudomys
Species:	P. patrius
Binomial name
Pseudomys patrius (Thomas & Dollman, 1909)

Like other pebble-mound mice, it is known for building shallow burrows with mounds of pebbles surrounding the entrances. This function is understood to be protective and collects dew. In Queensland the observed mounds in coastal areas are smaller than in drier habitats, reflecting the need to collect more of the scarcer water.^[2] The mouse lines the tunnel walls with pebbles for insulation and protection. It plugs smaller openings to the burrow system with a pebble, camouflaging the entrance, and unplugs it to exit in times of danger.^[2]