The cerrado climbing mouse or long-tailed rhipidomys (''Rhipidomys macrurus'') is an arboreal rodent species in the family Cricetidae from South America. It is found in

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secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

forests of the cerrado and caatinga in central and eastern Brazil, and has also been seen in the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

. Its

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...

is 2n = 44, FN = 48-52. They are

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

animals and can be found in both tree canopies and on the ground. This species should also not be confused with the cerrado mouse, ''

Thalpomys cerradensis The cerrado mouse (''Thalpomys cerradensis'') is a rodent species from South America. It is found in the cerrado of Brazil. Description The cerrado mouse has a head-and-body length of more than and is larger than the only other species in the g ...

'', the cerrado red-nosed mouse, ''

Wiedomys cerradensis ''Wiedomys'' is a genus of South American rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Abou ...

'', or the cerrado grass mouse, ''

Akodon serrensis The Serra do Mar grass mouse or Cerrado grass mouse (''Akodon serrensis'') is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Brazil. Pardiñas ''et al.'' (2016) transferred this species from the genus ''Akodon'' to the separate Akodontini, ...

''. The

Atlantic Forest climbing mouse The Atlantic Forest climbing mouse (''Rhipidomys mastacalis'') is an arboreal rodent species in the family Cricetidae from South America. It is found in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil at elevations from sea level to 1500 m. Its ...

(''Rhipidomys mastacalis'') has sometimes been similarly referred to as the "long-tailed climbing mouse". Rodents of genus '' Vandeleuria'' are also commonly known as long-tailed climbing mice.Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Morphology

Cerrado climbing mice are medium-sized mice with a head-and-body length of with dull reddish gray-brown dorsal pelage. The underparts are white or pale cream, typically with gray bases to the hairs. The tail is slightly longer than head-and-body length, has a tuft of long hairs at the tip and is medium to dark reddish brown. The medium brown ears are large. The hindfeet are robust and moderately long; there is a sometimes ill-defined dark patch in the centre of the upper surface and the surrounding area is golden brown.

Ecology

This mouse is found throughout most of the cerrado in gallery forest and semi-deciduous woodland. It is nocturnal and mainly arboreal, but also descends to the ground on occasion. It has been known to enter houses. Cerrado climbing mice are

seed eater Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source,Hulme, P.E. and Benkman, C.W. (2002) "Granivory", pp. 13 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1764469 Mammals of Brazil Rhipidomys Mammals described in 1855 Fauna of the Cerrado Fauna of the Caatinga