Mus mayori is a species of rodent in the genus Mus, the mice. Its common names include Mayor's mouse, highland rat, and spiny mouse. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
This mouse lives in tropical and subtropical forest types and wet grassland habitat. It is fossorial, seeking shelter by digging burrows. It is nocturnal.
This species is widespread in parts of Sri Lanka but it faces a number of threats, including deforestation and domestic cats.
There are two subspecies, M. m. mayori and M. m. pococki. A recent study catalogued the parasites associated with subspecies pococki : a mite of genus Echinolaelaps, a tick of genus Ixodes, and the sucking louse Polyplax spinulosa. A new species of pseudoscorpion was found on the mouse, described, and named Megachernes kanneliyensis. The mouse also carries the native Sri Lankan flea Stivalius phoberus.
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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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 ...
A fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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