The Western Saharan spiny mouse or Aïr spiny mouse (Acomys airensis ) is a species of small, insectivorous rodent in the family Muridae found arid regions of western Africa.
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
An omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
W
starts withThe Western Saharan spiny mouse is a small mouse with large ears, small eyes and a sharp snout. The fur on its back is tawny, each hair being grey at the base with a rufous sub-terminal band and a grey tip. It takes its name from a line of spiny hairs on the posterior part of the back, in older mice the spiny hairs spread forwards along the back towards the head. The ventral fur is white and separated clearly from the flanks. There are small white patches under the eye and behind the ears.
The Western Saharan spiny mouse occurs north of the Niger River and has been recorded with certainty in southern Mauritania, Mali and Niger but which may also occur in Chad, Western Sahara and southernmost parts of Algeria.
This species occurs in the Sahel savanna biogeographical zone where it is found in rocky areas but also in gardens and even within buildings but has also been found in a sandy area of the Inner Niger Delta. It has a maximum altitude at which it occurs of 1000m above sea level.
The Western Saharan spiny mouse is terrestrial and mainly nocturnal, although some have been recorded as active during the day. It probably rests in cracks and crevices in rocks rather than burrowing. In southern Mauritania pregnant females have been found in August and October. Rather common and readily trapped in many areas. Barn owls appear to be major predators of these mice. The skin on the tail breaks off easily. Like other members of the genus Acomys this mouse is omnivorous but mainly insectivorous.
