Muridae is the family of true mice and rats, the largest family of mammals, comprising several hundred species distributed across every continent except Antarctica. It includes the genus Mus, the typical mice, and the genus Rattus, the Old World rats, both of which have spread worldwide alongside human settlement.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Scientific Name Member Species/Taxa Count Geographic DistributionFound nearly everywhere in the world, though absent from Antarctica and many oceanic islands and not native to the Americas; a few species such as the house mouse and black rat have been introduced worldwide. 1 Defining CharacteristicsThe largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, occupying a broad range of ecosystems from tropical forests to tundras, with fossorial, arboreal, semiaquatic and mostly terrestrial species. 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceSmall mammals typically about 10 cm long excluding the tail, ranging from 4.5 cm in the African pygmy mouse to 50 cm in the northern Luzon giant cloud rat, with slender bodies, scaled tails longer than the body, and pointed snouts with prominent whiskers. 1 Sources
1. Muridae (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia lead paragraph, sentence 1 (taxonomic rank)
The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
Wikipedia lead paragraph, sentence 1 (family name)
The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
Wikipedia lead paragraph, sentence 1 (species count)
The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
Wikipedia, Distribution and habitat section, sentence 1
Murids are found nearly everywhere in the world, though many subfamilies have narrower ranges.
Wikipedia, Distribution and habitat section, sentence 4
Murids occupy a broad range of ecosystems from tropical forests to tundras.
Wikipedia, Characteristics section, sentence 1
The murids are small mammals, typically around 10 cm (3.9 in) long excluding the tail, but ranging from 4.5 to 8 cm (1.8 to 3.1 in) in the African pygmy mouse to 50 cm (20 in) in the northern Luzon giant cloud rat.
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