Ethiopian white-footed mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ethiopian white-footed mouse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Stenocephalemys |
| Species: |
S. albipes
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| Binomial name | |
| Stenocephalemys albipes (Rüppell, 1842)
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| Synonyms | |
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Myomys albipes (Rüppell, 1842) |
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The Ethiopian white-footed mouse (also called the white-footed stenocephalemys) is a type of rodent. It belongs to the Muridae family, which includes many mice and rats. This mouse lives in the countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea in Africa. You can find it in tropical montane forests and high-altitude shrublands. These are its natural habitats.
Contents
What Does the Ethiopian White-Footed Mouse Look Like?
This mouse is a medium-sized animal. It usually weighs about 60 g (2 oz). Its head and body are around 132 mm (5.2 in) long. The tail is even longer, about 162 mm (6.4 in).
The mouse has large, round ears. These ears do not have much hair on them. Its fur on the back is long and smooth. It looks glossy and is a sandy brown color. The fur is a bit darker brown along its spine. Each hair has a grey base and a sandy brown tip.
The fur on its belly is very different from its back. It is pale grey. The individual hairs here have darker grey bases. The mouse's legs are short and brownish-grey. Its feet have white hairs on top. However, there is a dark spot above the middle bones of its back feet. The tail has two colors, dark on top and pale underneath. It looks like it has no hair at all.
Where Does the Ethiopian White-Footed Mouse Live?
The Ethiopian white-footed mouse is found only in the Ethiopian highlands. This means it is endemic to that area. It lives on both sides of the Great Rift Valley. There is also a smaller group of these mice in the mountains in the northern part of Ethiopia. Scientists have studied them closely in the Degua Tembien district.
This mouse mostly lives in mountain forests and scrubland. But it can also be found in rough grasslands and pastures. It lives at different heights, from about 800 m (2,600 ft) to 3,300 m (10,800 ft) above sea level.
Life and Habits of the Ethiopian White-Footed Mouse
This mouse is nocturnal, meaning it is active at night. It mostly stays on the ground. However, it can also climb around in bushes.
What Does It Eat?
The Ethiopian white-footed mouse mainly eats plants. Its diet includes berries from different plants. These include the bush plum, olive, and juniper trees. It also eats berries from the Abyssinian rose and Rubus species (like blackberries). Green leaves are also a part of its diet.
Reproduction and Family Life
These mice can have babies at any time of the year. But they have the most babies during the wet season. This season is usually from September to November. A mother mouse typically has four babies at a time. The babies grow inside the mother for 23 days. They stop drinking milk from their mother when they are 24 to 29 days old.
Adult mice might live for less than one year. Predators like owls help control how many mice are in the area.
How Is the Ethiopian White-Footed Mouse Doing?
The Ethiopian white-footed mouse is likely the most common rodent in the mountains of Ethiopia. This is especially true above 1,500 m (5,000 ft). It is very common around 2,900 m (9,500 ft) in height.
This mouse lives in a wide area. It also has a large total population. Experts have not found any major threats to this species. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has looked at its status. They have decided it is a "least concern" species. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
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