Ansell's wood mouse

Ansell's wood mouse (Hylomyscus anselli) is a small African rodent in the family Muridae and the genus Hylomyscus. It was described in 1979 as a subspecies of the montane wood mouse and was later raised to a full species on the strength of its form. It is recorded from the Ufipa Plateau in southwestern Tanzania and from the highlands of northern Zambia, and it may also occur in neighbouring parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. The animal lives in montane forest at roughly 1,220 to 2,300 metres above sea level and is arboreal and nocturnal. An adult measures about 95 to 109 millimetres from head to rump, with a tail of 141 to 159 millimetres, so the tail is about 140 percent of the body length, and it weighs roughly 22 to 35 grams. The fur is soft and dense, dark brown above and grayish white below. The fifth toe of the hind foot is opposable and almost as long as the other toes, a trait that suits climbing. The IUCN Red List records it as Least Concern.