No, I'm not having you on - it's true! I read about it on the Australian Geographic's web page, then to convince myself it was genuine I checked it with the Alice Springs Desert Park.
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Spinifex Hopping-mice (Notomys alexis) live in the sand country of central Australia. How do they survive in the desert? They’re nocturnal and stay hidden during the day. Like many other desert mammals, during dry times, they can survive without drinking. Their very effective kidneys absorb every drop of water from their waste. They have solid urine!
They avoid the heat of the day by sheltering in a deep, humid burrow. Their burrow is a horizontal tunnel, about a metre underground, with several vertical shafts to the surface. Entrances are well concealed under clumps of grass. During summer when temperatures in their burrow rise above their body temperature, amazingly hopping mice can raise their body temperature so their surroundings feel cooler.
Spinifex Hopping-mice have large eyes and ears, big back feet, long tufted tails and move with a hopping and galloping gait. They grow to 7-8cm and live for 4-6 years.
They are placental mammals and pregnancy lasts 38-41 days. The female usually raises 3 or 4 young which are weaned at four weeks and sexually mature at two and a half months.
Unlike rodents living in less harsh environments, those living in areas of infrequent rain cannot rely solely on grain as a food source. As a result most desert rodents are omnivorous and have a varied diet that also includes leaves, shoots, roots and insects. Who eats it? Owls, dingoes, feral cats and red foxes.
So, there you go – a mouse that has solid wee! Who would have thought it?!
