A mouse is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. Mice are also popular as pets. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are locally common. They are known to invade homes for food and shelter.
The domestication of small mammals to keep as pets is a relatively recent development, arising only after large-scale industrialization. Historically, Western society was more agrarian than today, with rodents as a whole seen as vermin that were carriers for disease and a threat to crops. Animals that hunted such pests, such as terriers and cats, were prized.
A fancy mouse is a domesticated form of the house mouse, one of many species of mice, usually kept as a type of pocket pet. Fancy mice have also been specially bred for exhibiting, with shows being held internationally. A pet mouse is inexpensive compared to larger pets, and even many other pet rodents, but mice are comparatively short-lived: typically only 2 to 3 years.
The woodland jumping mouse is a species of jumping mouse found in North America. It can jump up to 3 m (9.8 ft) using its extremely strong feet and long tail.
The genus Mus or typical mice refers to a specific genus of muroid rodents, all typically called mice, though the term can be used for other rodents. They are the only members of the tribe Murini. However, the term mouse can also be applied to species outside of this genus.
The meadow jumping mouse is the most widely distributed mouse in the family Zapodidae. Its range extends from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Great Plains west, and from the arctic tree lines in Canada and Alaska to the north, and Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, and New Mexico to the south. In mid-2014, the New Mexico subspecies of the meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius luteus, was listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The northern pygmy mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is known as ratón-pigmeo norteño in the Spanish-speaking areas of its range. It is found in Mexico and the United States. It is the smallest rodent in North America.
The desert pygmy mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
The steppe mouse or mound-building mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
The Algerian mouse, also known as the western Mediterranean mouse, is a wild species of mouse closely related to the house mouse, native to open habitats around the western Mediterranean.
The plains harvest mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northern Mexico and the central United States.
The African pygmy squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus Myosciurus. It is found in tropical rainforests in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is not considered threatened, but likely declines locally due to habitat loss. Together with the least pygmy squirrel of Asia, the African pygmy squirrel is the world's smallest squirrel measuring about 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) in total length and just 15–18 g (0.53–0.63 oz) in weight, which is less than a typical house mouse.
The western jumping mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Zapodidae. It is found in Canada and the United States.
Nannomys is a subgenus of the rodent genus Mus, the mice. They are known as the African pygmy mice. These species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, where they can be found in many types of habitat. There are 20 species.
Pebble-mound mice are a group of rodents from Australia in the genus Pseudomys. They are small, brownish mice with medium to long, often pinkish brown tails. Unlike some other species of Pseudomys, they construct mounds of pebbles around their burrows, which play an important role in their social life.
