Montane wood mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montane wood mouse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Hylomyscus |
| Species: |
H. denniae
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| Binomial name | |
| Hylomyscus denniae (Thomas, 1906)
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The montane wood mouse (Hylomyscus denniae) is a type of rodent. It is also known as the montane hylomyscus. This small animal belongs to the Muridae family, which includes many mice and rats.
This mouse has long, thick fur. Its back and head are brownish-grey. Its belly is whitish-grey. It lives in the high mountains of Central Africa. You can find it in tropical moist montane forests.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The montane wood mouse is one of the biggest wood mice. Its body, from head to tail base, is about 100 mm (4 in) long. Its tail is even longer, about 140 mm (5.5 in). That's like its tail is one and a half times longer than its body!
Its fur is very thick and soft. The top of its head and its back are dark brownish-grey. Each hair is grey at the bottom with a brown tip. Its sides are similar but have a reddish tint. The underside of its head and its belly are whitish-grey. These hairs are grey with white tips.
The mouse has long, black whiskers. Its eyes are large and surrounded by short black hairs. There is a reddish patch between its eyes and ears. The tops of its legs are white. Its back feet have small white tufts of hair on the toes. Its tail is almost hairless. It has small scales and short, dark bristles.
Where Does It Live?
The montane wood mouse lives across tropical Central Africa. You can find it in several countries. These include Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It might also live in Malawi.
This mouse prefers moist forests. It usually lives at high altitudes. This means between 1,500 and 4,400 m (4,900 and 14,400 ft) above sea level. In some places like Angola and Zambia, it can live as low as 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It only lives in mountain forests. It does not live above the tree line where there are only grasslands.
Life and Habits
The montane wood mouse is nocturnal. This means it is active at night. It is also arboreal, which means it lives in trees. It builds its nest inside holes in trees. Its long tail and small back feet help it climb. They are perfect for moving among branches, vines, and leaves.
This mouse eats many different things. Its diet mainly includes green plants. It finds these plants in trees and on the ground. It also eats insects, other small creatures, seeds, and fruit.
Reproduction
Montane wood mice can have babies for most of the year. However, they have babies most often during the dry season. They also breed at the start of the wet season. This usually happens between July and September.
On average, a mother mouse has about 4 or 5 babies at a time. The biggest litters happen during the dry season. Both male and female mice are ready to have babies when they weigh about 22 g (0.8 oz).
Conservation Status
The montane wood mouse lives in a very large area. Scientists have not found any major threats to this species. Its population is believed to be stable. This mouse is common in many parts of its home range.
Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has given it a status of "least concern." This means that the species is not currently at risk of disappearing.
 | William L. Dawson |
 | W. E. B. Du Bois |
 | Harry Belafonte |
