The Taiwan field mouse, also called Formosan wood mouse (''Apodemus semotus''), 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 Taiwan.
The Taiwan field mouse is primarily distributed in the montane region between 1,400 and 3,000 m. They inhabit various habitat types, such as natural or planted forests, grasslands, farms, and campsites, and are omnivorous feeding on plants, insects and fungi.
Based on morphological measurements, it has been suggested that the Taiwan field mouse is not different from the
South China field mouse (''Apodemus draco''), and should not be considered as a separate species.
The Taiwan field mouse is sexually dimorphic, with male generally larger than females (male: 25.6 ± 0.5 g; female: 23.8 ± 0.5 g). Mark-capture-recapture data suggest that their life span may be less than 1 year in the wild.
References
Rats of Asia
Endemic fauna of Taiwan
Mammals of Taiwan
Apodemus
Mammals described in 1908
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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