The Ceylon spiny mouse (''Mus fernandoni'') 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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

. It is found only in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, where it is known as ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක‍ටු හීන් මීයා in Sinhala language.

Description

Head and body length 9–11 cm. Tail 6–7 cm. Reddish gray above, with gray flat spines (each with 11mm in length) and the reddish hue from the intermixed fine fur. The underparts are pure white with many long black hairs overlying. Whitish to grayish underparts, sometimes with a reddish-brown tinge. The ears are dark and relatively large. Snout pointed. Tail scaly, dark purple in color, and longer than body length. The incisors are orange.

Range

The Ceylon spiny mouse is an endangered species known only from the following locations. *

Central Province, Sri Lanka The Central Province ( ''Madhyama Paḷāta'', ''Maddiya Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 5,674 km2 and a population of 2,421,148, making it the 2nd most populated province. The city of Kand ...

( Kumbalaghamuwa) *

North Eastern Province, Sri Lanka The North Eastern Province was one of the provinces of Sri Lanka. The province was created in September 1988 by merging the Northern and Eastern provinces. This merger was declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2006. The province ...

( Kumana) *

Southern Province, Sri Lanka The Southern Province ( ''Dakuṇu Paḷāta'', ''Theṉ Mākāṇam'') of Sri Lanka is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did no ...

( Buttawa in

Hambantota Hambantota (, ) is the main city in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. This area was hit hard by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and underwent a number of maj ...

and

Yala National Park Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. The park consists of five blocks, three of which are now open to the public. There are also two adjoining parks, Kumana National Pa ...

) *

Uva Province The Uva Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,500 km2 and a population of 1,266,463, making it the 2nd least populated province. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by the East ...

( Galge in Monaragala)

References

* Mus (rodent) Rodents of Sri Lanka Mammals described in 1932 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Mus-stub