Rats and Mice

(Family: Muridae)

Rodents are eutherian mammals, not marsupials. As such, the young develop within the body for a longer period, connected to a placenta that feeds the developing foetus, removes waste and aids respiration, and give birth to well-developed young. There are 52 native and 5 introduced rodents in Australia, and a further 14 are now classed as extinct. They resemble the marsupial dasyurids in body shape and overall appearance, but differ mainly by having a single pair of chisel-shaped teeth (incisors), as opposed to the dasyurids multiple rows of sharply pointed incisors.