Mittendorf's striped grass mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mittendorf's striped grass mouse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Lemniscomys |
| Species: |
L. mittendorfi
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| Binomial name | |
| Lemniscomys mittendorfi Eisentraut, 1968
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The Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (scientific name: Lemniscomys mittendorfi) is a small rodent that belongs to the Muridae family, which includes many mice and rats. This special mouse is found only in Cameroon, a country in Africa. It lives high up on just one mountain. Its natural home is in grassy areas high in the mountains. Scientists say it is a "least concern" species, meaning it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
What Does It Look Like?
The Mittendorf's striped grass mouse is a small animal. Its head and body together are about 92 mm (3.6 in) long. That's about the length of a credit card!
Its fur on its back is dark brown. It has a thin, blackish stripe running down its spine. On its sides, it has eight pale stripes. The top three stripes are made of separate light spots. The lower stripes, however, are continuous lines.
The mouse's sides are greyish. Its chest is yellowish-brown, and its belly is pale grey. The individual hairs on its belly have grey bases and white tips. The area around its nose and eyes is a light, yellowish-brown color. Its feet are also buff-colored and have only a few hairs.
The tail of this mouse is almost as long as its body. It is two-colored: black on top and pale underneath. The middle part of its tail has a good amount of hair.
Where Does It Live?
This unique grass mouse is known to live only on Mount Oku in Cameroon. It lives in the grassy areas high up on the mountain, above the forest. It can be found at an altitude of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft). This is like living on top of a very tall skyscraper!
Its home is a type of grassland called savanna, which has scattered bushes. Scientists have tried to find this mouse on other nearby mountains in Nigeria that have similar habitats, but they haven't found any there. This means Mount Oku is a very special place for this mouse.
How Is It Doing?
The Mittendorf's striped grass mouse lives in a very small area. Its mountain home might be affected by animals grazing there, like cows or goats. Climate change could also be a concern for its habitat.
However, scientists have not found any major threats to this mouse right now. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has decided that its conservation status is "least concern". This means that, for now, it is not considered to be in danger of extinction.
 | James B. Knighten |
 | Azellia White |
 | Willa Brown |
