Dainty fat mouse

Dainty fat mouse
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Nesomyidae
Genus:	Steatomys
Species:	S. cuppedius
Binomial name
Steatomys cuppedius Thomas & Hinton, 1920

The dainty fat mouse (Steatomys cuppedius) is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Description

The dainty fat mouse has a head-and-body length of between 78 and 93 mm (3.1 and 3.7 in) and a tail length of between 41 and 50 mm (1.6 and 2.0 in). It weighs between 14 and 24 g (0.49 and 0.85 oz). It is a light sandy-brown colour and always has eight nipples. It is one of three species of fat mouse occurring in West Africa. It can be distinguished from the northwestern fat mouse (Steatomys caurinus) by being smaller and paler, by having a relatively longer tail, which is always at least half the head-and-body length, and by having fewer nipples. The third species, Jackson's fat mouse (Steatomys jacksoni), does not share the same range, being found only in southern Ghana and southern Nigeria, and has twelve nipples.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

The dainty fat mouse is native to tropical West Africa. Its range extends from Senegal through southern Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Niger, northern Benin and northwestern Nigeria, at altitudes of between 200 and 600 m (700 and 2,000 ft) above sea level. Its typical habitat is somewhat shrubby grassland.^[1]

Status

The dainty fat mouse is a somewhat uncommon species showing considerable population swings. It has a wide range and a presumed large total population, and is present in several protected areas. It is caught and eaten for food in some parts of its range but this is not thought to have a significant impact, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern".^[1]

References

• Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.