The African dormice (genus ''Graphiurus'') are
dormice
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibe ...
that live throughout
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
in a variety of habitats. They are very agile climbers and have bushy tails. They eat
invertebrates
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
and small
vertebrates
Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...
.
Species
Genus ''Graphiurus'', African dormice
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Angolan African dormouse
The Angolan African dormouse (''Graphiurus angolensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. Found in central and north Angola and western Zambia, it has been recorded from seven localities over an altitudinal range from above sea le ...
, ''Graphiurus angolensis''
*
Christy's dormouse
Christy's dormouse (''Graphiurus christyi'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RD ...
, ''Graphiurus christyi''
*
Jentink's dormouse
Jentink's dormouse (''Graphiurus crassicaudatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo, and possibly Benin, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leon ...
, ''Graphiurus crassicaudatus''
*
Johnston's African dormouse
The Johnston's African dormouse (''Graphiurus johnstoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is moist savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassla ...
, ''Graphiurus johnstoni''
*
Kellen's dormouse
Kellen's dormouse (''Graphiurus kelleni'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to tropical Africa where its range extends from the Gambia and Senegal to Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical ...
, ''Graphiurus kelleni''
*
Lorrain dormouse
The Lorrain dormouse (''Graphiurus lorraineus'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural h ...
, ''Graphiurus lorraineus''
*
Small-eared dormouse
The small-eared dormouse (''Graphiurus microtis'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambi ...
, ''Graphiurus microtis''
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Monard's dormouse, ''Graphiurus monardi''
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Woodland dormouse
The woodland dormouse (''Graphiurus murinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to southern and eastern Africa and is also known as the African dormouse, African dwarf dormouse, African pygmy dormouse, or colloquially ...
, ''Graphiurus murinus''
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Nagtglas's African dormouse, ''Graphiurus nagtglasii''
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Spectacled dormouse, ''Graphiurus ocularis''
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Rock dormouse, ''Graphiurus platyops''
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Stone dormouse, ''Graphiurus rupicola''
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Silent dormouse, ''Graphiurus surdus''
*''
Graphiurus walterverheyeni
Walter Verheyen's African dormouse (''Graphiurus walterverheyeni'') is a monotypic species of rodent in the family Gliridae. From the Central Congolian lowland forests ecoregion in the central Congo Basin, it has been found in west-central Demo ...
''
[Systematic Revision of Sub-Saharan African Dormice (Rodentia: Gliridae: Graphiurus) Part II: Description of a New Species of Graphiurus from the Central ]Congo Basin
The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...
, Including Morphological and Ecological Niche Comparisons with G. crassicaudatus and G. lorraineus
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 331 :314-355. 2009
'
Gallery
Image:Graphiurus_spec_-murinus-3.jpg, ''Graphiurus'' sp. (probably ''murinus'') – male
Image:Graphiurus_spec_-murinus-2.jpg, ''Graphiurus'' sp. (probably ''murinus'') – three males in a knot-hole
Image:Graphiurus_spec_-murinus-4.jpg, ''Graphiurus'' sp. (probably ''murinus'') – two adults eating a nectarine
References
Rodent genera
{{rodent-stub