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Our next battle features two incredibly leaping contestants, the third ranked Spinner Dolphin and the 14th ranked Spinifex hopping mouse #2019MMM
The Spinnifex hopping mouse (or Tarrkawarra, its name from the indigenous the Noongar people), from Western Australia is a rodent that can use a bipedal jump to navigate around its arid home library.dbca.wa.gov.au/static/FullTex… #2019MMM
The Spinnifex hopping mouse lives in an extremely dry environment, the Western Australian Mulga shrublands with an average of less than an inch of rain per month bit.ly/2H0Dsx2, although has also been spotted closer to the ocean.... #2019MMM
Like many species living in variable environments the Spinnifex Hopping Mouse must prepare for those windfalls. When it does rain they can have a rapid population explosion! (bit.ly/2NGV2a1) #2019MMM
And while the Spinnifex hopping mouse is limited to Australia the Spinner Dolphin is globally distributed. The eponymous behavior probably is a form of excited communication among these gregarious animals (bit.ly/2NIehzY) #2019MMM
(Get it? Brent Spiner played Data in Star Trek)
The spinner dolphin, like all dolphins are carnivorous and can use their sonar to detect prey. They hunt cooperatively driving bait into smaller balls to make it easier to catch #2019MMM
Our battle takes place off the coast of Sri Lanka and a pod of spinner dolphins are frolicking, many dolphins play, some tossing novel items like sponges or kelp from animal to animal (bit.ly/2VCYDZk) #2019MMM
You know what's pretty novel in the waters off of Sri Lanka? A mouse from the aird forests areas of Australia. Large flash floods have caused this little critter to be washed out to sea by on a small raft of vegetation #2019MMM
The dolphins come to investigate, leaping and spinning! Landing upon the small vegetation raft, the mouse loses its footing and slips into the drink... We can take solace in that its little lifeless body is going to bring joy as a giant cat-toy for a pod of dolphins #2019MMM
SPINNER DOLPHIN defeats SPINIFEX HOPPING MOUSE!!!! #2019MMM
