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Cape Spiny Mouse
Acomys subspinosus
The Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus) is a murid rodent found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. They have a dorsal covering of spiny hairs with dark grey-brown colouration, and a white underbelly. The Cape spiny mouse has large eyes and ears and a scaly, nearly bald tail that is brittle and can break off readily either as a whole or in part if it is caught. Their total length is 17 cm (6.7 in), with an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail, and they typically weigh 22 g (0.78 oz).
From the article Cape spiny mouse on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
This species is largely endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa; its range just extends into the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces. The extent of occurrence is greater than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi), and can occur up to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.
Wikipedia: “Range”
What it does
Cape spiny mice may live singly or in small groups. They feed almost exclusively on seeds, especially ant dispersed seeds of Restionaceae and Proteaceae with elaiosomes. The remainder of the diet consists of green plant material and insects, millipedes, and snails. In addition, the cape spiny mouse feed extensively on Protea humiflora flower.
Wikipedia: “Behaviour”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Acomys subspinosus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 45587.