The Angolan African dormouse (''Graphiurus angolensis'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

in the family Gliridae. Found in central and north

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and western Zambia, it has been recorded from seven localities over an altitudinal range from above sea level. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

tropical dry forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

s. Although the population size is unknown, it is thought to be generally uncommon.

Description

A small species, this dormouse has a head-and-body length of and a tail of . The fur on the back is soft, smooth and rather long. The dorsal colour varies, ranging from golden brown, rusty brown or drab brown to dark brown, the ridge of the back often being darker than the rest. The underparts are white or cream, slightly tinted with grey, and there is a sharp line demarcating the junction between the dorsal and ventral colouring. The ears are large, brown and rounded and the eyes are large. There is a conspicuous mask round the eyes and the cheeks are white or cream, this colour extending in a band to the shoulders. The tail has short fur near the base and long hair near the tip. It is basically the same colour as the dorsal fur but some white hairs are mixed with the darker ones and the tip is white. This species is similar in appearance and skull characteristics to the rock dormouse (''Graphiurus platyops'') but their distributions do not overlap. The

stone dormouse The stone dormouse (''Graphiurus rupicola'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Namibia, South Africa, and possibly Angola. Its natural habitat is rocky areas in the Karoo. Though it has a limited range, it is a fairly ...

(''Graphiurus rupicola'') is larger and not found in

miombo The Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located primarily in Central Africa. It includes four woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) characterized ...

woodland, and the small-eared dormouse (''Graphiurus microtis'') is smaller and the ranges of the two species only overlap in Zambia.

Distribution and habitat

The known species range includes only northern and central Angola and western Zambia, at altitudes between about . It has only been recorded from seven locations and is likely an uncommon species, its typical habitat being tropical dry woodland, and wooded savannah. In

woodland it tends to occur in the vicinity of water.

Ecology

The Angolan African dormouse has been little studied but it is thought to be mainly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

and

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose num ...

. Most of the individuals encountered have been in trees, but specimens have been found in the roof of a hut, in various buildings and in an old

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus ''Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...

. The diet is likely to be

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

and to include insect grubs and fruit. Females have sometimes been caught accompanied by up to four young.

Status

''G. angolensis'' has been assessed as "

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessarily ...

" by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

because of its dubious taxonomic status, the lack of knowledge as to the extent of its occurrence and its conservation status, and the lack of information on its life cycle and the threats it faces.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q972992 Graphiurus Mammals of Angola Endemic fauna of Angola Mammals described in 1897 Taxa named by William Edward de Winton Taxonomy articles created by Polbot