Spinifex hopping mouse on the move. Photo: Michael Sale (Flickr) / CC BY-NC 2.0
Spinifex hopping mouse on the move. Photo: Michael Sale (Flickr) / CC BY-NC 2.0

Park closure

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will be closed until 2 pm on Thursday 25 June and all day on Friday 26 June due to a funeral and memorial service following the passing of a senior Aṉangu woman. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will re-open at 6.30 am on Saturday 27 June.

More information: Park closures on 25 and 26 June 2026 due to Sorry Business

These small native mice are common throughout the park, although they spend most of the day sheltering from the desert heat.

They are usually seen at night, jumping through open areas with their body almost horizontal.

Spinifex hopping mice eat a variety of seeds, roots, shoots and small invertebrates. They build deep burrows lined with twigs and leaves, and their population varies hugely with the levels of rainfall in the park.

Scientific name

Notomys alexis

Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara name

tarkawaṟa