--- description: Scientists know little about the rare species title: Endangered Hopping Mouse Caught on Film for the First Time image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Endangered Hopping Mouse Caught on Film for the First Time by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2015 7:52 PM CUT by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2015 7:52 PM CUT A rare Australian rodent has been [captured on film](http://www.newsweek.com/endangered-hopping-rodent-captured-camera-first-time-314281 "undefined") for the first time. The northern hopping mouse, a tiny creature with a 4-inch body and 6-inch tail that hops like a kangaroo, is endangered and extremely rare, [_Newsweek_ reports](http://www.newsweek.com/endangered-hopping-rodent-captured-camera-first-time-314281 "undefined"). Scientists know very few details about the mice. The rodent’s habitat is restricted to a small part of northern Australia, and its size, speed and nocturnal habits make it very hard to catch or study. Rebecca Diete, a postdoctoral student at the University of Queensland, made it her mission to find and document the mouse. A year of obsession finally paid off when she encountered one on a large island called [Groote Eylandt](http://www.anindilyakwa.com.au/ "undefined"). Her video shows a female building an underground burrow. Her research has helped fill in a lot of blanks about the species. Unfortunately, some of her findings indicate the little mice may have a much smaller habitat range than scientists estimated, making them more endangered than previously thought. \[[_Newsweek_](http://www.newsweek.com/endangered-hopping-rodent-captured-camera-first-time-314281 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3747790/endangered-mouse-film/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3747790/endangered-mouse-film/"},"headline":"Endangered Hopping Mouse Caught on Film for the First Time","datePublished":"2015-03-17T19:52:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:13:20.543Z","description":"Scientists know little about the rare species","url":"https://time.com/3747790/endangered-mouse-film/","keywords":["animals","Australia","Wildlife"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Janik","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rachel-janik/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3747790/endangered-mouse-film/","name":"Endangered Hopping Mouse Caught on Film for the First Time"}}]}] ```