Southern multimammate mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern multimammate mouse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Mastomys |
| Species: |
M. coucha
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| Binomial name | |
| Mastomys coucha (Smith, 1834)
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The southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha) is a type of rodent that lives in southern Africa. You can find it in countries like Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It's called a "multimammate" mouse because it has many milk-producing glands, usually 8 to 12 pairs. Other mouse species usually only have about 5 pairs.
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Where They Live and What They Eat
The southern multimammate mouse is active at night. This means it's a nocturnal animal. It can live in many different natural places, like open grasslands, bushy areas, and even dry desert-like lands. This mouse is very adaptable, meaning it can live in many different environments.
M. coucha eats many different things. It's an omnivore, which means it eats both plants and animals. It can even eat other mice if food is very scarce. Because it's so good at adapting, you often find this mouse in places that have been changed by things like drought or fires. Seeing them around can sometimes show that an ecosystem is healthy.
How to Tell Them Apart
It can be tricky to tell the southern multimammate mouse (M. coucha) apart from another similar mouse called M. natalensis. They look very much alike on the outside. Scientists usually have to look at their chromosomes (tiny parts inside cells) or their DNA to know for sure which species is which. They do have some small differences in their bodies and how they work, like their blood patterns and smells.
Sometimes, even in science labs, these two types of mice have been mixed up in the past.
Why They Are Important for Research
The southern multimammate mouse is often used in medical research. Unlike some common lab mice, M. coucha has a lot of genetic variety. This makes them very useful for studying how the body's immune system fights off sickness.
These mice can also get a type of papillomavirus naturally. This virus acts a lot like the HPV virus that affects humans. Because of this, M. coucha is a good model for scientists to study and test vaccines against HPV infections.
Also, M. coucha can host the full life cycle of a parasite called B. malayi. This parasite causes a disease called lymphatic filariasis, which affects many people around the world. So, these mice are important for finding new medicines and vaccines to fight this disease.
Southern Multimammate Mice as Pets
Recently, people in places like the US, Canada, Germany, and England have started breeding southern multimammate mice as pets. They are also sometimes used as food for pet reptiles, like ball pythons, especially for snakes that are picky eaters. Scientists are also using them to study stomach cancer and other health problems.
While they are becoming more popular as pets, they are still more commonly raised as food for other animals.
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