Cursor grass mouse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cursor Grass Mouse
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Genus:	Akodon
Species:	A. cursor
Binomial name
Akodon cursor Winge, 1888
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The cursor grass mouse, also known as the cursorial akodont (Akodon cursor), is a small rodent that lives in South America. It belongs to a group of rodents called sigmodontine mice.

What Does the Cursor Grass Mouse Look Like?

The cursor grass mouse is a medium-sized rodent. Its body, from head to tail, is usually about 11 to 13 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) long. Its tail adds another 8 to 11 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) to its length.

Male cursor grass mice are a bit bigger than females. Males weigh around 54 grams (about 1.9 ounces), while females weigh about 43 grams (about 1.5 ounces). They look like typical mice, with short whiskers and small claws on their feet. Their fur is dark to golden brown over most of their body. Their belly fur is lighter, often greyish or yellowish. Some mice might have a small white spot between their ears.

These mice are very similar to other mice in their group, especially the montane grass mouse. The montane grass mouse lives in areas right next to where the cursor grass mouse is found. It's hard to tell them apart just by looking! Even though cursor grass mice are usually a little bigger, their sizes can overlap. Scientists often need to look at special body parts, like the presence of a gall bladder (which the montane species doesn't have). They also use advanced tests like karyotypic analysis or DNA tests to identify them correctly.

Where Do Cursor Grass Mice Live?

The exact places where the cursor grass mouse lives are still being studied by scientists. We know for sure that they live in eastern Brazil. This area stretches from Paraiba down to Paraná. They make their homes in tropical Atlantic Forest areas and restinga scrubland. These places can be found from sea level up to about 1,170 meters (3,840 feet) high.

Some reports suggest they might also live further south. This includes extreme southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northern Argentina. However, scientists are not always sure if these are truly cursor grass mice. It's possible they are other similar species, like the montane grass mouse. No different types or subspecies of the cursor grass mouse are officially recognized.

How Do Cursor Grass Mice Live?

Cursor grass mice eat a mix of different foods, making them omnivores. Their main diet includes small insects and other tiny creatures. They especially like Hymenoptera (like ants and wasps), beetles, and spiders. They also eat seeds from plants such as Cecropia.

These mice search for their food among fallen leaves and in thick patches of plants. They stay on the ground and do not climb much. Each mouse has a special area where it lives and finds food, called a home range. A home range can be anywhere from 0.1 to 0.7 hectares (about 0.25 to 1.7 acres). Male mice usually have larger home ranges than females.

The number of cursor grass mice in an area changes with the seasons. Their population becomes much higher during the rainy season. This is when insects, their main food source, are most plentiful.

Cursor grass mice can have babies all year long. However, most births happen during the dry season, which is from June to September. Pregnant females build round nests for their young. They give birth to a litter of two to nine babies, but usually, they have about four. The babies are born after a gestation period of 23 days.

This species is important for public health studies. Scientists study them to understand how certain viruses might spread.