Rudd's mouse or the white-bellied brush-furred rat (''Uranomys ruddi'') is the only species in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Uranomys''. This animal is closely related to the spiny mice, brush-furred mice, and the link rat.

Description

Head and body sizes range from 8.4-13.4 cm long. Tail length is 5.3-7.9 cm. Weight is 41-53 g. The hairs on the back of this species are stiff like the brush-furred mice, but not spiny as in '' Acomys''. The belly is white and feet are covered in white hairs.

Incisor Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...

s project anteriorly.

Natural history

The animal is known across a wide

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, but is never common. They are usually taken in

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

h habitat. Rudd's mouse is thought to be

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

. It feeds predominantly on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

References

* Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern *Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Vol. 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, London. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1765287 Deomyine rodents Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1909 Taxa named by Guy Dollman