The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.
Megalomys luciae, also known as the Saint Lucia pilorie or Saint Lucia giant rice-rat, as well as several variant spellings, is an extinct rodent that lived on the island of Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean. It was the size of a small cat, and it had a darker belly than Megalomys desmarestii, a closely related species from Martinique, and slender claws. Some other physical features that this rodent species have are brown/ochre dorsal coloration and white soft fur patches. They have webbed hind feet, smooth heels with interdigital pads, and slender claws. Their tail is longer than the length of their whole body from head to toe, the tail contains sparse hairs and is mainly covered with epidermal scales. Their skulls are very delicate with an amphora shape. The last known specimen died in the London Zoo in 1852, after three years of captivity. It probably became extinct in the latter half of the 19th century, with the last record dating from 1881. There is a stuffed specimen in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London.
The short-footed Luzon tree rat or greater dwarf cloud rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines, specifically in northern Luzon. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests.
The giant bushy-tailed cloud rat or Luzon bushy-tailed cloud rat is a large, endangered species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found in pine and mossy forest at altitudes of 2,000–2,740 metres (6,560–8,990 ft) in the Central Cordillera of Luzon, the Philippines. Relatively little is known about its behavior, but it is nocturnal, mainly arboreal and feeds on various types of vegetation.
The West African shaggy rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Sulawesi soft-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Eropeplus. It is found only in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Mount Oku rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. The genus Lamottemys is monotypic, and this is the only species. It is found only in Cameroon where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The Natal multimammate mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is also known as the Natal multimammate rat, the common African rat, or the African soft-furred mouse. The Natal multimammate rat is the natural host of the Lassa fever virus.
The fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat, or fawn-footed melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found along eastern coastal regions of Australia.
The sand-colored soft-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in India and Pakistan.
Miss Ryley's soft-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in central Myanmar, and was also recorded on Mount Popa.
The Kondana soft-furred rat, also known as the Kondana rat or large metad, is an endangered species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is a nocturnal burrowing rat that is endemic to the Sinhgad plateau near Pune, Maharashtra, India. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, and urban areas. Major threats are habitat loss, overgrazing of vegetation, and disturbance from tourism and recreational activities.
The soft-furred rat, or soft-furred metad, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae native to South Asia.
The Oldfield white-bellied rat or soft-furred Taiwan niviventer is a species of phat rat in the family Muridae. It is found only in Taiwan. It has also been considered a subspecies of Niviventer niviventer and included in Niviventer confucianus.
The Palawan soft-furred mountain rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Palawanomys. It is found only in Palawan, Philippines, and has been recorded on Mount Mantalingajan.
The little soft-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on the upper slopes of Mount Lampobattang in Bantaeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It gets its name from its soft, silky fur. It is smaller than a roof rat, but larger than a house mouse.
The Indian gerbil also known as "antelope rat", is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
The lesser bamboo rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is monotypic within the genus Cannomys. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand.
The Colombian soft-furred spiny-rat, or arboreal soft-furred spiny-rat, is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Millardini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. Species in this tribe are found in South and Southeast Asia.
