Golden spiny mouse

Golden spiny mouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Acomys
Species:
A. russatus
Binomial name
Acomys russatus
(Wagner, 1840)
Synonyms

Acomys lewisi

The golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus) gets its name from the reddish-orange spiny fur that covers its body from head to tail. This coarse, inflexible fur is thought to protect it from predation.[2] Aside from the golden fur that covers its head and upper parts, its flanks are yellow and its underside is pale. It has gray legs with pale feet and black soles. It is also described as having a small, but distinct white spot under each eye.[3] It is often found in the wild missing a part or all of its tail because it is able to shed this as a defense mechanism. However, it is not known how this is done, how often it can occur, or under what conditions.[4] It lives an average of three years in the wild. It is omnivorous and feeds on seeds, desert plants, snails, and insects. Living in desert regions, it is a xeric animal that obtains water from the plants that it eats and produces very concentrated urine in order to conserve water.[2] A. russatus is naturally nocturnal, but adapts to being diurnal when it shares a habitat with A. cahirinus.

  1. ^ Shenbrot, G. (2016). "Acomys russatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T273A22452593. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T273A22452593.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Golden Spiny Mouse (Acomys russatus) Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine. Arkive.org. Retrieved on 2012-12-28.
  3. ^ Hoath, R. A. (2004) Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo and New York ISBN 9774248090
  4. ^ Shargal, Eyal; Rath-Wolfson, Lea; Kronfeld, Noga; Dayan, Tamar (1999). "Ecological and histological aspects of tail loss in spiny mice (Rodentia: Muridae, Acomys) with a review of its occurrence in rodents". Journal of Zoology. 249 (2): 187–193. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb00757.x.