Tympanoctomys aureus
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Tympanoctomys aureus faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and livestock grazing in its extremely limited range in Argentina's Monte Desert. Mining activities and infrastructure development further fragment the already restricted sandy habitat patches essential for this fossorial rodent. Climate change poses additional risks by altering precipitation patterns that affect the sparse vegetation this species depends on for food and shelter.
Habitat
This species inhabits sandy soils and loose sediments in the Monte Desert scrublands of west-central Argentina, particularly areas with sparse shrub vegetation. It constructs elaborate burrow systems in sandy substrates, typically in areas with Larrea and Prosopis shrubland communities.
