Central rock rat

The central rock rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) is a critically endangered rodent in the family Muridae, endemic to Australia and also known as the central thick-tailed rock-rat. It was first described in 1896 by E. R. Waite. It is nocturnal, measures roughly 10.6 to 14.9 centimetres from head to body, weighs between 50 and 120 grams and stores fat in a thick tail. It lives among rocky outcrops, stony hillsides and hilly grassland in the West MacDonnell Ranges of the Northern Territory, eats mostly seeds, and was twice thought extinct before being rediscovered in 1996. Fire, buffelgrass, feral cats and grazing animals are named as threats, and a national recovery plan and captive breeding have been attempted.