Order Rodentia Family Muridae

Order RodentiaFamily Muridae• Diastema

• 1 pair incisors• Ears shorter than tail• Eyes, ears visible• Tail naked;

annulations visible• Tail not longer than

head and body• Dorsal, ventral pelage

nearly same colorRattus norvegicus

Mus musculusIdentification: Mouselike size; gray-brown dorsum and slightly lighter venter; naked tail; few hairs on ears (TL 130-200mm)

Distribution: Statewide

Habitat: Vicinity of humans; occasionally fields, other disturbed habitats

Mus musculusDiet: Omnivorous

Reproduction: Multiple litters of 3-10 each year

Conservation: Introduced; common

Mus musculus

Other: Introduced by early immigrants from Eurasia; carries some human diseases (typhus, rickettsialpox)

Rattus norvegicusIdentification: Ratlike size;

brown dorsum and slightly lighter venter; naked tail; little hair on ears; abdomen swollen anterior to tail (TL 315-460mm)

Distribution: Statewide

Rattus norvegicusHabitat: Almost exclusively

near human habitations; confined to 1st floor and basement in buildings

Diet: Grain, food scraps, chicken eggs, chicks

Reproduction: Up to 12 litters of as many as 12 young annually

Conservation: Introduced; common

Rattus norvegicusOther: Introduced in 1700s; damages food stores; historically significant as vector of bacterium causing bubonic plague

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Order RodentiaFamily Zapodidae• Diastema

• 1 pair incisors• Ears shorter than tail• Eyes, ears visible• Tail furred• Tail much longer than

head and body• Hind feet elongate

Zapus hudsonius

Zapus hudsoniusIdentification: Pelage coarse

with dark brown dorsal band; yellowish flanks; venter white; bicolored tail

Distribution: Statewide

Habitat: Moist grassland, weedy habitats

Zapus hudsoniusDiet: Seeds, fruits, fungus,

invertebrates

Reproduction: 2 litters of 2-8 annually

Conservation: Common

Other: Hops only when scared or pursued