| Tiny fat mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Nesomyidae |
| Genus: | Steatomys |
| Species: | S. parvus |
| Binomial name | |
| Steatomys parvus Rhoads, 1896 | |
Thetiny fat mouse (Steatomys parvus) is a species ofrodent in the familyNesomyidae.It is found inAngola,Botswana,Ethiopia,Kenya,Mozambique,Namibia,South Sudan,Tanzania,Uganda,Zambia, andZimbabwe.Its naturalhabitats are subtropical or tropical dryshrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowlandgrassland.
It favours sandy and cultivated areas, rocky hills, open woodland and grassy plains. The depth of its burrow varies between a minimum of 40 cm and one metre; the burrow contains few passageways, with a central chamber filled with fibers and grass.[2]
The tiny fat mouse is part of an assemblage of small mammals in openAcacia woodland. The most abundant rodent in this habitat is theAfrican grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), followed by theNatal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis). The shrewsCrocidura spp. were also abundant as were thefat mice (Steatomys spp.),Gerbils (Gerbilliscus spp.),tree mice (Dendromus spp.),pouched rats (Saccostomus spp.) and mice in the subgenusNannomys.[3]
InTerminalia woodland, characterised by the treesTerminalia mollis andCombretum molle and various shrubs, a different community of small mammals is found. Here the Natal multimammate mouse is the most common species, with the tiny fat mouse,Kaiser's rock rat (Aethomys kaiseri) and theBarbary striped grass mouse (Lemniscomys barbarus) also plentiful.[3]
The tiny fat mouse has a very wide range across much of Central and southern Africa. The population is presumed to be large and appears to be stable. For these reasons, theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the conservation status of this mouse as being of "least concern".[1]
