Sandy Inland Mouse

The sandy inland mouse is greyish-brown to sandy-brown with off-white underside. Adults weigh approximately 9 to 15 grams, and measure 55–80 mm from nose to base of tail with a tail between 70 and 90 mm. Physically similar to the several other species including the house mouse it differs in lacking the notched incisors and distinctive musty odour of M. domesticus. The sandy inland mouse can be distinguished from several species including P. chapmani, P. delicatulus and Mus musculus by the pattern of the footpads. Furthermore, it has smaller ears and hind feet than Bolam's mouse, and the tail is shorter and less heavily furred allowing distinction between the two species.

Endemic to Australia, the sandy inland mouse can be found widely yet sparsely throughout arid and semi-arid areas of central southern and western Australia. The sandy inland mouse is present through New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The major focus of studies on the species appears to centre on NSW where it has been found in Sturt National Park, Fowlers Gap Station north of Broken Hill, near Kajuligah Nature Reserve north of Ivanhoe, the Enngonia area north-east of Bourke, and at several locations in the Tibooburra area. It is also found on some islands off the coast of Western Australia, including Dirk Hartog, Dixon, Rosemary, and Hope off the Pilbara. Populations in central Australia are thought to be largely sedentary despite observations of individuals covering distances of up to 14 km in NSW and Queensland

Nocturnal in nature, the sandy inland mouse will hide in burrows up to 50 cm underground during the day sometimes in the burrows of other animals. During non-breeding periods large congregation of individuals in a single burrow are common, while during breeding periods groups are generally smaller, with four or five members. Burrows have been characterised by the absence of a soil mound by the entrance. Despite some previous observations of individuals entering a torpor like state it is believed that sandy inland mouse do not use torpor as an energy or water conservation strategy. However, they are understood to be able to survive hypothermia.