habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
This is a generalist species, well distributed across the southern and eastern parts of South Africa, where it prefers grassland, but also occurs in lightly wooded areas and on the fringes of semi-forested areas. It occurs across a number of habitat types, including savannah, fynbos, grassland, rocky habitats, as well as vlei and riverine regions (Monadjem 2013). Pygmy Mice have also been recorded in grasslands that have been recently burnt and disturbed (for example, Umvoti Vlei Conservancy, KwaZulu-Natal; Fuller & Perrin 2001), in areas affected by agriculture, livestock production and forestry. It also occurs in suburban areas, although it is not usually found inside buildings (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). In Rolfontein Nature Reserve, Northern Cape Province, it was found in short vegetation and hard calcareous soil, and near human settlements (Jooste & Palmer 1982). In Swaziland, this species was recorded in rocky, riparian floodplain forest and low rocky thicket in the Maguga Dam area (Avenant & Kuyler 2002). In the arid regions of southern Africa, this species occurs in sympatry with M. indutus (Monadjem et al. 2015).It is nocturnal and terrestrial, and is not a communal species, thus burrows are used only by a pair or a family group. In soft ground it constructs shallow burrows, but much more commonly uses existing shelter under fallen logs, piles of debris, boulders or holes in termite mounds. The species appears to forage singly at night and may not be tied closely to a single shelter. An effective way of catching Pygmy Mice is to lay a tarpaulin or sheets of corrugated iron on the ground which it will use as a temporary diurnal shelter (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). Its main diet is grass seeds, insects and termites (Monadjem 2013); Wilson (1975) recorded the seeds of couch grass Cynodon dactylon in stomach contents.
The colloquial name is appropriate as Mus minutoides is among the smallest of the murids. The adults of this species have a total length of about 97 mm, with tails of 41 mm and a mass of 5.5 g (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). The upper parts of the body are brownish-buff and this brownish colour is imparted to the pelage by the presence of black-tipped hairs that become fewer on the flanks, which are orange-buffy in colour. The border between the colour of the flanks and the white of the underparts is sharply defined. The tail is brown above and buffy below, the ears brownish, the hands and feet buffy-white.
Ecosystem and cultural services: This species represents a valuable prey species for a number of small predators, and may also contribute to seed dispersal throughout the assessment region.
