Kakadu Pebble-mouse

This small, ground-dwelling rodent is characterised by its distinctive habit of clearing loose stones and gravel from around its burrow entrance, creating a "pebble-free" apron that gives the species its common name. It is a nocturnal, burrowing mammal that constructs deep tunnel systems in stony or lateritic soils, likely providing shelter from predators and extreme temperatures. Like other Pseudomys species, it plays a role in soil turnover and seed dispersal within its ecosystem, and serves as a prey source for native and introduced predators.

The species is restricted to the Northern Territory of Australia, within the Kakadu region, where it inhabits savanna woodlands, particularly areas with rocky or stony substrates suited to burrowing. Its range is naturally limited, and it also occurs in some modified or artificial terrestrial environments near its core habitat.

Population decline is driven by predation from feral cats, which have had severe impacts on small and medium-sized native Australian mammals. Altered fire regimes, including more frequent and intense late dry-season wildfires, degrade the structural complexity of its savanna habitat and reduce food and shelter availability. Broader habitat alteration, including changes to vegetation composition and land use pressures, compounds these effects.

Conservation efforts in the region include fire management programs designed to promote patchy, early dry-season burning that reduces the risk of large, destructive wildfires, along with feral predator control initiatives across northern Australian conservation reserves. Ongoing monitoring within Kakadu National Park supports population assessments.

The species' population is currently in decline, consistent with broader trends observed among small mammals across northern Australia's savanna regions. Continued predator and fire management will likely be critical to stabilising remaining populations.