The Cameroon climbing mouse (''Dendromus oreas'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family

Nesomyidae The Nesomyidae are a family of African rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes several subfamilies, all of which are native to either continental Africa or to Madagascar. Included in this family are Malagasy rodents, ...

which is endemic to the montane grasslands on three mountains in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Description

The Cameroon climbing mouse is a rather small species of mouse with a long tail and an indistinct black stripe along its back and a long tail. The fur on the dorsum is brown while the ventral fur varies from dark rufous to pale greyish-yellow. There are white or cream patches on the throat and on the chin, and on the anal fur. The ears are blackish with a fine covering of tawny hairs and with a pale spot at the base of each ear on the outer margin. The hindfoot has 5 digits with didit 5 having a claw and being opposable to the other digits.

Distribution

It is found only in

where it is known from three mountains:

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous n ...

from 1,700 to 4,000 m above sea level, Mount Manenguba between 1,800 and 1,900 m in altitude and

Mount Kupe Mount Kupe or Mont Koupé is a plutonic mountain in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, part of the Cameroon line of volcanoes. It is the highest of the Bakossi mountains, rising to . The mountain is revered by the local Bakossi people The Ba ...

where it occurs around 850m.

Habitat

Montane savannas above the tree line, among boulders on Mount Cameroon, in grassy scrub on Mount Manenguba and occurring in plantation and farmland on Mount Kupe. It avoids the montane forests at lower altitudes.

Habits

The Cameroon climbing mouse is both diurnal and nocturnal and lives mostly on the ground, digging burrows into the soil despite being well adapted for climbing.

Threats

The Cameroon climbing mouse is threatened by climate change which may lead to scrub and tree growth higher up the mountains in its restricted range and as the lower forests are cleared grazing livestock may move up to higher latitudes.

References

* Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. * Schlitter, D. & Dieterlen, F. 2004.
Dendromus oreas

2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 9 July 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q309311 Dendromus Endemic fauna of Cameroon Mammals of Cameroon Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1936 Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot