Desert Rat-kangaroo

The Desert Rat-Kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris) lived in the driest, hottest and most desolate environments in Central Australia. It was the size of a small rabbit. It was graceful, scarcely seeming to touch the ground as it hopped, almost floating, effortlessly, through the air. It showed great endurance and 'paused only to die'. It sheltered in a flimsy nest by day. At night, it emerged to feed. It lived alone and was so independent of water, that it even shunned the succulent plants of the sandhills. It was first recorded by Europeans around 1841 and was not seen again for 90 years. The last sighting was in 1935.