598.

Natal Mulumammate Mouse

Mastomys natalensis

French: Mastomys du Natal / German: Natal-Vielzitzenmaus / Spanish: Raton multimamas de Natal

Other common names: Natal Mastomys

Taxonomy. Mus natalensis A. Smith, 1834, “Port Natal” (= Durban), South Africa . This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal E to Somalia and S to N Namibia, N Botswana, and E South Africa, with an isolated record from N Sudan.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 76-155 mm, tail 70-174 mm, ear 12-22 mm, hindfoot 18— 26 mm; weight 15-98 g. Fur of the Natal Multimammate Mouse is darkish gray (young) to rusty brown (old) above, paler below. Tail is long (c.100% of head-body length) and scaly, with rather long hair. Ears are large, rounded, and naked. Forefeet and hindfeet are whitish. Females have 9-12 pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 32 and FN = 52-54.

Habitat. Typically agricultural fields and houses butalso natural savannas. The Natal Multimammate Mouse is usually found in disturbed habitats and recently burned grasslands and absent from deserts, alpine regions, and rainforests.

Food and Feeding. Natal Multimammate Mice are generalist omnivores and considered to be major agricultural pests. They dig up maize seeds or climb stems to reach maize cobs. They also eat other seeds, leaves, and stems of grasses and shrubs; insects; and sometimes carrion.

Breeding. Breeding is distinctly seasonal, starting soon after onset of rains and continuing well into dry season. Chemicals in germinating seeds and young grass seedlings in diets stimulate sexual maturation. Gestation lasts 21-22 days. Meanlitter sizes are 10-12 young in Tanzania (up to 23) but less in other areas (e.g. six in Senegal and 4-5 in eastern DR Congo). Postpartum estrus lasts a few days after parturition, and interbirth interval is ¢.28 days.

Activity patterns. The Natal Multimammate Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Natal Multimammate Mice make simple underground nests, or use cracks in the ground or existing nests. Home ranges are ¢.1000 m* and overlap, with little evidence ofterritoriality. Individuals do not usually survive beyond their first reproductive season at twelve months of age. Extreme population fluctuations occur and in a population in Malawi numbers fluctuated from I ind/ha (dry season) to 40 ind/ha (wet season).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Dippenaaret al. (1993), Duplantier et al. (1990), Granjon et al. (1996), Happold (2013a), Leirs (1992), Leirs, Stenseth et al. (1997), Leirs, Verhagen, Sabuni et al. (1997), Leirs, Verhagen & Verheyen (1994), Monadjem et al. (2015).