The steppe mouse, also called the mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus, is a small rodent of the family Muridae found in grassland, steppe, cultivated land, orchards, clearings and woodland borders from Austria to southern Ukraine and Greece. Head and body length is 70 to 80 millimeters and the slender tail adds 55 to 65 millimeters; the fur is mostly uniform grey, and the animal looks much like the common house mouse. It is unusual among mice for building mounds each autumn, up to 4 meters across but more often 1 to 2 meters, which four to fourteen closely related animals construct over storage chambers that can hold up to 10 kilograms of seeds and grains, with a nesting chamber beneath. Breeding runs from about March to October, and females may raise four or five litters a year. Two subspecies are recognized, one of them isolated on the Adriatic coast. The IUCN rates the species least concern while noting that intensive agriculture and the loss of grassy steppe may threaten it in future.
Facts
Classification
ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Sources
1. Steppe mouse (Wikipedia)
Status
noting that the intensification of agriculture and destruction of grassy steppe may be a future threat.
Lead
It is found in grassland and other open areas in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
In Group: Rodents And Lagomorphs, Lead, species of rodent
(Mus spicilegus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
In Biome: Grassland, Ecology
This species is found in grassland, steppe, cultivated land, orchards, clearings and woodland borders.
In Biome: Steppe, Ecology, steppe
This species is found in grassland, steppe, cultivated land, orchards, clearings and woodland borders.
View the Source2. iNaturalist: Mus spicilegus taxon record (iNaturalist API)
iNaturalistConservation status, IUCN Red List
"status": "LC"
Taxon record, extinct flag
"extinct": false
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