Covered in coarse, stiff hairs on the back that resemble small spines, this mouse can shed an entire patch of skin if a predator seizes it by the back, then regrow it with almost no scarring. The ability is so unusual among mammals that its genus has become a subject of study in regenerative medicine. It lives in rocky and scrubby areas of southern Africa, spending the day hidden in crevices and coming out at night to look for seeds and insects.
Small rodent with reddish-brown to greyish fur, stiff spiny hairs on the back and a white belly. The tail is long, thin and fragile, and breaks off easily if the animal is caught by it. It differs from the Cape Spiny Mouse, with which it does not share a range, in its slightly less reddish fur and in living in the interior of the subcontinent rather than on the south-west coast.
Tiny track less than 1.5 cm long, with five toes, seldom found except in fine dust beside rock crevices. Droppings are small and elongated, 3-4 mm long, and build up in the crevices or hollows it uses as a daytime refuge. The clearest sign is usually the refuge itself: crevices between rocks or logs with piles of husked seed remains near the entrance.
Rocky outcrops, scrub and savannah with stony cover, from sea level to mountain areas, in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Seeds, insects and other small invertebrates, supplemented with plant material when animal food is scarce.
May live in small groups within shared rock refuges, and is mainly nocturnal. Its ability to shed skin as an escape mechanism is an unusual defence among rodents.
The species maintains a large, stable population over most of its range, with no evidence of widespread decline.
Local loss of rocky habitat to extractive activities, and predation by domestic cats near human settlements.
See all species accounts for rodents · Full species index
Mammaling is a free app for logging the mammals you find. You record a sighting in a moment — even if it's just a track — your life list grows, and the record becomes available to scientific and conservation projects.
It runs on your phone with nothing to install. If you like, it adds to your home screen like any other app.
Open Mammaling