Cairo spiny mouse

Egyptian spiny mouse ( Acomys cahirinus cahirinus ), melanistic form.

The Egyptian spiny mouse ( Acomys cahirinus ) is a mammal of the family of long-tailed mice. The species inhabits into three mutually insulated ( disjoint ) sub- areas large parts of northern Africa. It is considered safely.

Mark

The Egyptian spiny mouse, like all species of the genus Acomys significantly larger and heavier than the house mouse. She has like all spiny mice strikingly large ears and eyes, a pointed snout, a long body, scaly tail and a composed of stiff, spine-like hair coat on his back. The head-body length is 75-138 mm, tail length 85-138 mm, the length of the hind foot 18-23 mm and 18-31 mm length of the ear. The animals weighing 21-64 g The coat is light reddish brown on the upper side in the normal case. The bottom has dropped sharply white, the ear base, a narrow region under the eyes and the top of the feet are hairy white.

Melanistic animals often occur at least in Egypt, but apparently almost exclusively in populations that live as commensals of people in homes or their immediate environment.

Distribution and habitat

The species inhabits into three mutually insulated ( disjoint ) sub- areas large parts of northern Africa. The western part of the site extends to south-eastern Morocco, the extreme western Algeria, the northern and central western Sahara and the north-west Mauritania. The middle part area covers an area in southeast Algeria. The eastern and most of area covers almost the whole of Libya, Egypt to the east part of the Sinai Peninsula and the north of Sudan, then reaching over Eritrea, Djibouti and northern Ethiopia to the north of Somalia. The southern limit of distribution in Sudan and Ethiopia is not yet precisely known.

The species is mainly bound to arid, rocky areas and inhabits rocky slopes, cliffs and wadis from sea level to 1800 m, in the Sahel also sparsely covered with low bushes gravel plains. However, especially in Egypt, many populations also live commensal in buildings and their surroundings in gardens, and date groves in ancient grave and temple complexes.

Way of life

Egyptian spiny mice are during the day and especially in the morning and evening active. They climb very well. The buildings are laid in crevices or in simple transitions in the ground. The animals are omnivores and feed on leaves, seeds and fruits, but also snails, insects and scorpions.

Inventory and risk

The Egyptian spiny mouse is widespread, very adaptable and locally common, evidence of population decline, there is not. The IUCN therefore classified the species as " safely " ( " least concern ").

Swell

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