''Mastomys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

endemic to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It contains eight species: * Angolan multimammate mouse (''M. angolensis'') * Awash multimammate mouse or Awash mastomys (''M. awashensis'') *

Southern multimammate mouse The southern multimammate mouse or southern African mastomys (''Mastomys coucha'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae which is endemic to southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). It i ...

(''M. coucha'') * Guinea multimammate mouse (''M. erythroleucus'') * Hubert's multimammate mouse (''M. huberti'') * Verheyen's multimammate mouse (''M. kollmannspergeri'') *

Natal multimammate mouse 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. The Natal multimammate rat is the natu ...

(''M. natalensis'') *

Shortridge's multimammate mouse Shortridge's multimammate mouse (''Mastomys shortridgei'') 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 ...

(''M. shortridgei'') The multimammate mice (also called multimammate rats, African soft-furred rats, natal-rats or African common rats) are found in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their head-body length is between 10 and 15 cm, their tail length is between , and their weight varies between , depending on the species. Domesticated multimammate mice are heavier on average, weighing from . ''Mastomys'' species are omnivorous, and can live up to four years. Systematically, they were long placed in the genus ''Rattus'' (referred to as ''Rattus natalensis''). Later they were placed in the genus ''Mus ''(referred to as ''Mus natalensis'') and then they were placed in the genus ''

Praomys ''Praomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. It contains the following species: * '' Praomys coetzeei'' * Dalton's mouse, ''Praomys daltoni'' * De Graaff's soft-furred mouse, ''Praomys degraaffi'' * Der ...

''. Today, molecular research has discovered that they are a genus of their own (''Mastomys'') and that they are closely related to ''Praomys''. They are also more closely related to Mus than to Rattus. The dwarf multimammate mouse (''Serengetimys pernanus'') was formerly classified in this genus, but has now been moved to its own genus.

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