Southern climbing mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern climbing mouse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Rhipidomys |
| Species: |
R. austrinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhipidomys austrinus Thomas, 1921
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The southern climbing mouse (Rhipidomys austrinus) is a type of rodent. It belongs to the Cricetidae family, which includes many mice and hamsters. This small animal lives in Argentina and Bolivia. You can find it in the green, forested valleys and on the slopes of the eastern side of the Andes Mountains.
What Does It Look Like?
The southern climbing mouse is a medium-sized mouse. Its body, from head to where its tail starts, is about 170 millimeters (about 6.7 inches) long. Its tail is even longer, usually 110% to 135% longer than its body!
Its fur has two main colors. The fur on its back is thick and can be greyish-brown or orangish-brown. The fur on its belly is creamy, but the hairs have dark grey bases. There's a clear line where these two colors meet.
This mouse has large, oval-shaped ears. Its teeth, especially its molars, are also quite big. Its back feet are fairly large and have dark patches on top, reaching down to its toes. The tail is brown and covered with short hairs. It also has a small tuft of hairs at the very end.
Where Does It Live?
The southern climbing mouse makes its home on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America. Its range stretches from Jujuy Province in northwestern Argentina. It goes north into the Santa Cruz Department and La Paz Department in Bolivia.
These mice can live at different heights, from about 350 meters (1,150 feet) to 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) above sea level. They tend to live at lower heights in Argentina. In La Paz, Bolivia, they are found higher up. Sometimes, they share their valley homes with another mouse called Gardner's climbing mouse. However, the southern climbing mouse usually lives at higher elevations.
Their favorite home is the Yungas forest. This is a type of dense, green forest found in mountain valleys. In Argentina, they can also live in other kinds of forests, including mountain forests and lowland forests.
This mouse is active at night, which means it is nocturnal. It is also very good at climbing trees. Sometimes, farmers consider it a pest because it can get into coffee plantations.
Is It Safe?
The southern climbing mouse is a common animal. It lives in many places and its population seems to be stable. It can also adapt to different types of habitats. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says it is a species of "least concern". This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
 | Aurelia Browder |
 | Nannie Helen Burroughs |
 | Michelle Alexander |
