Geographic Range
Mystromys albicaudatus
is native to the Ethiopian region. It occurs in southern Swaziland and South Africa.
Habitat
Mystromys albicaudatus
inhabits savanna grasslands and semi-desert areas. It lives in burrows and in fissures
in the soil.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
Physical Description
The fur color of
M. albicaudatus
is buffy-grey with speckles of black. Both the tail and the underside are white.
Mystromys albicaudatus
has large eyes. It does not have cheek pouches, as many of its relatives do. It has
four toes on the forefeet and five on the hind feet. The female has two pairs of nipples,
also called inguinal mammae.
Mystromys albicaudatus
is endothermic and bilaterally symmetric. The approximate length of the head and
body is 14 to 18 centimeters for both sexes. The tail is approximately 5 to 8 centimeters.
Sexual dimorphism is exhibited in this species in the form of weight difference. The
average weight is 96 grams for males, and 78 grams for females.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
The mating system of
M. albicaudatus
consists of monogamous pairs. The number of males and females is approximately equal,
which is expected in species that are monogamous.
Mystromys albicaudatus
seems to breed year round.
- Mating System
- monogamous
Births occur year round. The gestation period is usually about 37 days.
Mystromys albicaudatus
can produce many litters per year. Each litter consists of between two and five young,
with a mean of 2.9 young per litter. The age of sexual maturity is not known, but
the youngest age a female can produce a litter is 146 days. Lactation typically takes
38 days. During the first three weeks of lactation, the young remain continuously
attached to the mother’s nipples. When there are five young, the mother periodically
detaches one of the offspring so that the remaining one can feed as well.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
Both the male and the female care for the young. The female bears most of the burden
though, as she not only lactates, but must drag the young around wherever she goes,
as they remain attached almost constantly to her nipples for the first three weeks.
The female aids in protection mainly by covering the young. The male is much more
aggressive and attacks and bites intruders. In
M. albicaudatus
, only the female grooms the young. The young are born almost completely hairless.
The eyes open on average between 16 and 20 days after birth. The incisors often begin
to erupt between 3 and 5 days after birth. It takes about 38 days for the offspring
to be fully weaned, though information on when the offspring are fully mature is not
provided.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-independence
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan of
M. albicaudatus
is not known in the wild, but it is approximately six years in captivity.
Behavior
Mystromys albicaudatus
is nocturnal. It has been reported that it is very active when it rains. It is not
described as social; the only reported interactions are between a monogamous pair
and its offspring.
Mystromys albicaudatus
engages in self-grooming, including scratching, face washing and licking.
Home Range
The range
M. albicaudatus
covers is not mentioned. The size of its territory is only the size of its burrow
or the crack in the ground it lives in, but no measurements are provided.
Communication and Perception
There is not much informatin in the literature regarding communication systems in
M. albicaudatus
. However, it clearly communicates though through vocalizations. When young are separated
from their mother shortly after birth, they squeal until they find her.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
Food Habits
Mystromys albicaudatus
eats seeds, vegetable material and insects. In the lab, it has been fed and is particularly
fond of meat. Also, parents have been seen eating dead offspring on occasion.
- Primary Diet
- omnivore
- Animal Foods
- mammals
- insects
- Plant Foods
- seeds, grains, and nuts
Predation
The main predator of
M. albicaudatus
is the
barn owl
. Humans also cause population declines by habitat modification.
Ecosystem Roles
Mystromys albicaudatus
has symbiotic bacteria in its stomach that may be important in carbohydrate fermentation.
Also, it eats insects, so it contributes to keeping insect populations in check. Furthermore,
it eats seeds, so it is involved in seed dispersal.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- symbiotic bacteria.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Mystromys albicaudatus
has benefited humans through its use in laboratory research.
- Positive Impacts
- research and education
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Mystromys albicaudatus is not known to negatively impact the economy.
Conservation Status
Current populations of
M. albicaudatus
are fragmented and in need of better conservational efforts.
Mystromys albicaudatus
is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List. The IUCN indicates that up to 80 percent
of its habitat has been lost, and 50 percent of the remaining habitat is expected
to be lost in the next ten years if nothing is done. Its status has not been evaluated
in the CITES appendices.
Additional Links
Contributors
Matthew Wund (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Nima Maani (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
References
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Smithers, R. 1983. The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion . Pretoria, South Africa: University of Pretoria.
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