The montane African climbing mouse or remarkable climbing mouse (''Dendromus insignis'') 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, ...
.
It is found in
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Kenya
)
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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,
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, and
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
.
Description
The montane African climbing mice have short, soft brown to reddish-brown
pelage
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily #Guard hair, guard hair on top and thick #Down hair, underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as ...
with a dark stripe down the middle of their backs and dark gray or grayish underparts.
They have tails that can equal up to 133% of their head and body length, which taper and are covered in scales and short hair.
Montane African climbing mice have a typical mymorphous
zygomatic arch
In anatomy, the zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygomati ...
with a narrow
infraorbital foramen
In human anatomy, the infraorbital foramen is one of two small holes in the skull's upper jawbone (maxillary bone), located below the eye socket and to the left and right of the nose. Both holes are used for blood vessels and nerves. In anatomica ...
, due to the prominence of the lower anterior-positioned
masseter
In human anatomy, the masseter is one of the muscles of mastication. Found only in mammals, it is particularly powerful in herbivores to facilitate chewing of plant matter. The most obvious muscle of mastication is the masseter muscle, since it ...
muscles—resulting in only three molars in a row and grooved upper incisors.
The hind limbs of the montane African climbing mouse are elongated, with hind feet highly specialized for climbing. ''D. insignis'' have a reduced inner proximal foot pad, and a reduced first digit with a nail.
The montane African climbing mouse is one of the largest species of the genus Dendromus, with head and body length ranges from 76 mm to 90 mm and weigh from 7-20 g,
up to 20% larger than other Dendromus species. Additionally, their head is relatively large compared to other genera of rodents, making up about 27% of their head and body length
and resulting in longer molar rows.
Ecology
Behavior and Diet
The montane African climbing mouse avoids predation by being nocturnal, using its well-adapted hind feet to climb twigs and dense grasses and its long hindlimbs to produce long jumps of up to 45 cm.
Its climbing agility is used to contribute to its insectivorous and granivorous diet, and allows for nests to be above ground.
Range and Habitat
Its home range of extends through mountainous areas but they generally dwell in heath and alpine zones.
They have been documented across a wide range of high altitude locales, including elevations as high as 4240 m.
Below 2000 m, grassland meets the montane forest, and ''D. insignis'' is less commonly found, as easy-to-climb dense vegetation is reduced.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q305578
Dendromus
Mammals of Africa
Mammals described in 1903
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot