On a small, remote island in the Pacific Ocean, an unlikely predator feasts on the world’s largest albatross colony. Researchers are trying to figure out how to stop these murderous mice.
Native rats and mice don’t usually evoke sympathy among the Australian public. The common names for the species – such as swamp rat – do little to help.
Abi Gazzard, International Union for the Conservation of Nature; Connor Panter, University of Nottingham, and Rosalind Kennerley, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Rodents are the most numerous – and least studied – of all Earth’s mammals.
Australia has more than 60 species of native rodents found nowhere else in the world. New research used museum specimens to find out how they got here.
With temperatures plunging, rodents have started seeking the warmth and food inside our houses. Here’s how to deal with them effectively and humanely – without accidentally catching native animals.
Mice pups living on mountain tops reserve their energy for growth rather than warmth. When they get too cold, they conserve energy by slowing down their metabolic processes.
Climate change, globalization and concerns about rat poison soon could drive rat infestations to levels not seen in centuries. One way to curb them is getting humans to stop wasting food.
Agricultural pests are one of the key factors affecting small holder farmer production. Focus is normally put on invertebrate pests, but rodents can do severe damage to crops as well.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Researcher at IGDORE, and Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, Durham University
Principal Pathologist, Centre for Emerging, Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases and Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of the Witwatersrand