Lesser stick-nest rat

The lesser stick-nest rat, also known as the white-tipped stick-nest rat, is an extinct rodent of the family Muridae, scientific name Leporillus apicalis. It lived in central Australia, where it built nests of sticks that accumulated over years and could grow to three metres long and a metre high. The last confirmed sighting was in 1933, with a credible report in 1970, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature moved its assessment from extinct to critically endangered in 2008 before returning it to extinct in 2016. The rat was easily tamed and was also eaten by people. Its decline may have come from competition with cattle and sheep and from predators such as owls once its food became scarcer. Its close relative, the greater stick-nest rat, survives on some offshore islands and in fenced sanctuaries.