Darwin's leaf-eared mouse

Darwin's leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis darwini) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.^[2]

Darwin's leaf-eared mouse
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Sigmodontinae
Genus:	Phyllotis
Species:	P. darwini
Binomial name
Phyllotis darwini (Waterhouse, 1837)

It has terrestrial habits and is endemic to coastal central and northern Chile. It is also found in the Atacama Desert. Members of the species have been found in the Llanos de Challe national park of the Atacama Desert. As a nocturnal rodent, P. darwini utilize the varying degrees of moonlight to determine predation risk and will often alter foraging habits in favor of avoiding predators.^[3]

References

1. D'elia, G. (2016). "Phyllotis darwini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T17224A22341324. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T17224A22341324.en. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
2. Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1162. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
3. Vásquez, Rodrigo A. (1994). "Assessment of predation risk via illumination level: facultative central place foraging in the cricetid rodent Phyllotis darwini". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 34 (5): 375–381. doi:10.1007/BF00197008. ISSN 0340-5443. S2CID 26005620.