He is one of the few rodents in the world truly adapted to semiaquatic life in mountain rivers, with his partially palmed back legs he uses to swim contracorrent in search of aquatic invertebrates, a very unusual lifestyle among American mice. He lives in the streams and rivers of fast and well oxygenated waters of the mountain mountain wet forest of southern Mexico, a habitat that demands clean water and in good ecological state throughout the year. Like the rest of water mice of his genre, he has a dense and waterproof coat that allows him to repeatedly submerge without losing body heat in the cold mountain waters.
A medium-sized rodent, dense, waterproof dark brown-tone fur, large and partially palmed back legs adapted to swimming, and long tail he uses as a steering wheel when swimming. He differs from other semi-water rodents in the region by those palmed back legs so characteristic, a feature that they do not share the terrestrial mice with which they could be confused at first glance.
Footprint with partially palmed back legs, 2-2.5 cm, with membrane marks between the fingers visible in fine mud along the banks of the river, a trace that distinguishes it from any terrestrial rodent in the area. Small and lengthy excrement, 6-8 mm, left on flat stones next to the water. It is sheltered in rocks excavated on the banks, with the entry often below the water level, and its presence is delated by remnants of aquatic invertebrates partially consumed on emerging rocks.
Rivers and rivers of rapid and well oxygenated waters in mountain wet forest, generally between 1000 and 2500 m of altitude. Distributed by a zone of the Southern Sierra of Oaxaca and the isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the south of Mexico.
Aquatic carnivore, it feeds on aquatic invertebrates, insect larvae and small crustaceans captured by diving into the water of the streams where it lives.
Solitary and territorial, with a countryside centered on a concrete stretch of river or river.It is probably nocturnal, and its strong dependence on clean and well oxygenated waters limits its ability to move between basins separated by dry terrain.
Its populations are considered to be declining due to the degradation of water quality and the loss of the river forest it depends on, with a distribution already fragmented in the south of Mexico.
Contamination and degradation of the water quality of mountain streams by agricultural and livestock activities, and deforestation of the river forest that protects the quality of the aquatic habitat it depends on.
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