Golden-backed tree-rat

The golden-backed tree rat, Mesembriomys macrurus, is a nocturnal, tree-dwelling rodent of the family Muridae found only in Australia. It takes its name from a broad stripe of golden fur running from the top of the head to the base of the tail, which ends in a white brush. Adults measure about 18 to 34 centimetres in body length with a tail of 29 to 36 centimetres and weigh 200 to 330 grams. By day they sleep in nests in hollow trees, dense foliage or among rocks, and at night they forage mainly for fruit, as well as flowers, grasses and insects. The species once ranged across northern Australia, including the Pilbara and the Northern Territory, but it now survives mainly in the north-west Kimberley of Western Australia and on several islands off that coast, with a significant population in the Charnley River and Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary. Feral cats and late dry season bushfires are the main threats. The IUCN assessed it as Near Threatened in 2016, and the Wunambal people traditionally used its tails to make necklaces.