Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse |
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Zelotomys
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hildegardeae
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The Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse (Zelotomys hildegardeae) is a type of rodent that belongs to the Muridae family, which includes many mice and rats. It is also known as Hildegarde's zelotomys. This small mammal lives in Central Africa.
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About This Mouse
This mouse was first officially described in 1902 by a British zoologist named Oldfield Thomas. Its scientific name, "hildegardeae", honors Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde. She was a British anthropologist who lived in Africa for 24 years. She studied East African languages and wrote books about them.
What It Looks Like
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse is about 125 millimeters (5 inches) long, not including its tail. It has a wide head with light gray or white fur on its cheeks. Its chin and throat are also whitish. The mouse has dark whiskers and dark ears that don't have much fur.
Its body is covered in thick, soft fur. The fur on its back and head is grayish-brown or gray. Its belly is whitish or light grayish-brown. These two colors blend together on its sides. Its legs are whitish, and its feet sometimes have light brown tops. The tail is about 70% as long as its head and body. It has small scales in rings and only a few short, white or grayish-brown hairs. This mouse also has a strong, unpleasant smell. This smell might help keep predators away.
Where It Lives
This mouse lives only in tropical Central Africa. You can find it in countries like Angola, northern Zambia, and the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its range also goes east to Tanzania and north to Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan.
It usually lives in moist savanna areas. These are grasslands with scattered trees. It also likes tall grasslands and bushy areas. Often, it lives near the edges of swamps or forests. Sometimes, it is found in areas with a type of grass called Imperata cylindrica. In northern Malawi, it has even been seen in pine tree farms and close to human homes.
How It Lives
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse is active both during the day and at night. When kept in a safe place, it is active all night long. It looks for food on the ground, staying hidden under tall grasses and leaves.
This mouse mainly eats arthropods. These are creatures with exoskeletons, like grasshoppers and crickets, dung beetles, and other insects. It also eats myriapods, which include centipedes and millipedes. Sometimes, it eats fruit too. These mice communicate with each other by making high-pitched whistling sounds. Even with its strong smell, smaller carnivores (meat-eating animals) still hunt and eat this mouse.
Reproduction
In Kenya, pregnant female mice have been found in June and November. In Uganda, they have been found in February, March, May, June, and July. A mother mouse usually gives birth to between three and seven babies at a time.
Conservation Status
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse lives across a very large area. However, it is not very common anywhere. Scientists have not found any specific major threats to this mouse. It also lives in several protected areas. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed its conservation status as "least concern". This means that the species is not currently at risk of disappearing.
