Natal multimammate mouse

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Natal multimammate mouse
Mastomys natalensis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Mastomys
Species:
M. natalensis
Binomial name
Mastomys natalensis
Smith, 1834
Synonyms
  • Mastomys hildebrandtii(Peters, 1878)
  • Myomys fumatus(Peters, 1878)

The Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) 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. [1] . The Natal multimammate rat is the natural host of the Lassa fever virus.

Contents

Range

It is found in Africa south of the Sahara. Six different genetic groups can be distinguished in different regions: one in western Africa, one in central Africa, one in southern Africa and three in eastern Africa. [2]

Mastomys natalensis is commonly known as the "multimammate rat" due to the female's multiple and prominent mammary glands Mastomys natalensis mammary.jpg
Mastomys natalensis is commonly known as the “multimammate rat” due to the female’s multiple and prominent mammary glands

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, urban areas, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.

These rats associate closely with humans, and are commonly found in and around African villages.

Interactions with humans

The species has been used as a laboratory animal since 1939. It has great value for researchers who focused on stomach cancer and spontaneous tumors. It is also the most important reservoir of Lassa fever virus. [3]

Related Research Articles

Lassa fever Viral disease spread by a type of mouse

Lassa fever, also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF), is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract. The risk of death once infected is about one percent and frequently occurs within two weeks of the onset of symptoms. Of those who survive, about a quarter have hearing loss, which improves within three months in about half of these cases.

Namaqua rock rat Species of rodent

The Namaqua rock rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is sometimes included in the genus Micaelamys. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are temperate forest, dry savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland, rocky areas, hot desert, temperate desert, rocky shores, arable land, rural gardens, and urban areas.

The Guinean grass rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Benin, Ghana, Togo, possibly Cameroon, possibly Central African Republic, possibly Ivory Coast, possibly Guinea, possibly Liberia, and possibly Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, arable land, pastureland, and urban areas.

Woodland thicket rat Species of rodent

The woodland thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, arable land, pastureland, and urban areas.

Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat Species of rodent

The rusty-bellied brush-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, arable land, and pastureland.

The Awash multimammate mouse or Awash mastomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found only in Ethiopia. Phylogentically the Awash multimammate mouse is the sister taxon of the Natal multimammate mouse, a species found almost everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara and considered a serious agricultural pest throughout its range.

<i>Mastomys</i> Genus of rodents

Mastomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Africa. It contains these species:

Southern multimammate mouse Species of rodent

The southern multimammate mouse or southern African mastomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae which is endemic to southern Africa. It is called a multimammate mouse because it can have 8 to 12 pairs of mammae, in comparison other mouse species only have 5 pairs.

The Guinea multimammate mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, arable land, rural gardens, urban areas, and irrigated land. They weigh between 12 and 105 grams.

Hubert's multimammate mouse, or Hubert's mastomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal, and possibly Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Niger. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, arable land, rural gardens, urban areas, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.

Shortridge's multimammate mouse is a rodent species in the family Muridae. It is native to Angola, Botswana and Namibia. Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and swamps.

The Angolan multimammate mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formerly classified in the genus Myomyscus but has been reclassified into the genus Mastomys. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and moist savanna.

The tiny fat mouse is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

Natal dwarf puddle frog Species of amphibian

The Natal dwarf puddle frog is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burkina Faso, Chad, Lesotho, and Mauritania.

Mascarene grass frog Species of frog

The Mascarene grass frog, or Mascarene ridged frog, is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius.

Natal sand frog Species of amphibian

The Natal sand frog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland, and possibly Botswana, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, and ponds.

The Ochre mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Bathyergidae. It is found in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, caves, and arable land.

A robovirus is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted by a rodent vector.

Morogoro virus is an East African arenavirus infecting the multimammate mouse. The virus is genetically closely related to Lassa virus, known to cause Lassa fever in humans. Morogoro virus, however, does not seem to infect humans. Transmission of Morogoro virus between mice is assumed to occur via direct and indirect contact. Infected animals pass a latent period of 7 days and subsequently shed the virus for about 30 days, after which they recover and develop lifelong antibodies. Transmission may also be possible from infected mothers to offspring and through sexual contact, as this has been suggested for other arenaviruses.

Praomyini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. Species in this tribe are found mostly throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, but one species is found in North Africa, and another is found in the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, one fossil genus (Karnimata) is known, which inhabited India and Pakistan during the Late Miocene.

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-07-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Colangelo, Paolo (2013). "A mitochondrial phylogeographic scenario for the most widespread African rodent, Mastomys natalensis". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 108 (4): 901–916. doi: 10.1111/bij.12013 .
  3. Clive Roots; Domestication - page: 115