The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part two

Mastacomys
One species, not represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Broad-toothed Mouse Mastacomys fuscus
 
Mesembriomys
Two species, both of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Black-footed Tree Rat Mesembriomys gouldii
Three subspecies: gouldii, melvillensis, rattoides

Photo by @LaughingDove at the Territory Wildlife Park (Australia) (Northern Territory subspecies gouldii)

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Black-footed Tree-rat - ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland at the Territory Wildlife Park (Australia) (Northern Territory subspecies gouldii), showing the size of this species.

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black-footed tree-rat or Djintamoonga (Mesembriomys gouldii) - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 at the Queensland Museum, Australia (taxidermy specimen) showing the body form. As can be seen from these three photos, the species is variable in colour.

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Black-footed Tree Rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) - ZooChat



Golden-backed Tree Rat Mesembriomys macrurus
Monotypic

Photo by @Najade in the wild, Australia

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Golden-backed Tree-rat (Mesembriomys macrurus) - ZooChat
 
Notomys
Five extant species and five extinct species; with two extant and one extinct species being represented in the Zoochat galleries.


The extant species are as follows:


Spinifex Hopping Mouse Notomys alexis
Three subspecies: alexis, everardensis, reginae; they may all be synonymised by some authors.

Photo by @ro6ca66 at Hamerton Zoo Park (UK) (the captive population is not assigned to any subspecies)

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Spinifex hopping mouse : Hamerton : 31 May 2019 - ZooChat


Fawn Hopping Mouse Notomys cervinus
Monotypic

Photo by @Chlidonias at the Queensland Museum, Australia (taxidermy specimen)

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Fawn Hopping Mouse (Notomys cervinus) - ZooChat


The remaining three extant species are:

Northern Hopping Mouse Notomys aquilo
Dusky Hopping Mouse Notomys fuscus
Mitchell's Hopping Mouse Notomys mitchellii



Five other species are considered to now be extinct:


Long-tailed Hopping Mouse Notomys longicaudatus
Last recorded in c.1901 although in 1977 possible remains were found in an owl pellet.

Photo by @Najade at the South Australian Museum, Australia (taxidermy specimen)

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Long-tailed Hopping-mouse (Notomys longicaudatus) - ZooChat


Short-tailed Hopping Mouse Notomys amplus (last recorded in 1896)
Big-eared Hopping Mouse Notomys macrotis (last recorded in 1843)
Darling Downs Hopping Mouse Notomys mordax (known only from a single skull)
Great Hopping Mouse Notomys robustus (known only from remains in owl pellets)
 
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Pseudomys
About 22 extant species, two of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Plains Rat Pseudomys australis
Monotypic

Photo by @Giant Eland at Sydney Wildlife World (Australia)

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Sydney Wildlife World 2007 - ZooChat


Photo by @Najade at Halls Gap Zoo (Australia)

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Plains Rat (Pseudomys australis) - ZooChat


Smoky Mouse Pseudomys fumeus
Monotypic


Photo by @Yoshistar888 at Healesville Sanctuary (Australia)

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Smoky Mouse (Pseudomys fumeus) - ZooChat



The remaining species in the genus Pseudomys are below:

Ash-grey Mouse Pseudomys albocinereus
Silky Mouse Pseudomys apodemoides
Bolam's Mouse Pseudomys bolami
Kakadu Pebble-mound Mouse Pseudomys calabyi
Western Pebble-mound Mouse Pseudomys chapmani
Little Native Mouse Pseudomys delicatulus
Desert Mouse Pseudomys desertor
Shark Bay Mouse Pseudomys fieldi
Eastern Chestnut Mouse Pseudomys gracilicaudatus
Sandy Inland Mouse Pseudomys hermannsburgensis
Long-tailed Mouse Pseudomys higginsi
Central Pebble-mound Mouse Pseudomys johnsoni
Kimberley Mouse Pseudomys laborifex (variably treated as either a full species or as a subspecies of P. johnsoni)
Western Chestnut Mouse Pseudomys nanus
New Holland Mouse Pseudomys novaehollandiae
Western Mouse Pseudomys occidentalis
Hastings River Mouse Pseudomys oralis
Country Mouse Pseudomys patrius
Pilliga Mouse Pseudomys pilligaensis (variably treated as either a full species or as being conspecific with P. delicatulus)
Heath Mouse Pseudomys shortridgei


Three further species are considered to be extinct:

Long-eared Mouse Pseudomys auritus (known only from specimens collected in the 1800s; is sometimes treated as being conspecific with P. australis)

Blue-grey Mouse Pseudomys glaucus (known from only three specimens from the late 1800s)

Gould's Mouse Pseudomys gouldii (last recorded in 1857; possibly conspecific with P. fieldi, which is a scenario explicitly stated in a 2021 paper by Roycroft et al titled "Museum genomics reveals the rapid decline and extinction of Australian rodents since European settlement")
 
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And, with that, the entire Order of Rodentia has been completed.

This thread has been just for Myomorpha, for which the final stats are below.

[I will keep these posts updated as the numbers change. Last updated 26 August 2025]


..............................................................


There are seven Families within Myomorpha, containing about 1680 species in total. Of those, a paltry 213 species from 105 genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Dipodidae (Jumping Mice and Jerboas)
About 50 species in 16 genera, of which 14 species from 8 genera are depicted here.

Platacanthomyidae (Spiny Dormice)
Three species in two genera, of which one species is depicted here.

Spalacidae
(Mole-Rats and Bamboo Rats)
About 30 to 40 species in six genera, of which only seven species from four genera are depicted here.

Calomyscidae (Mouse-like Hamsters)
Eight species in one genus, of which one species is depicted here.

Nesomyidae (Madagascan and African Rats and Mice)
About 65 to 70 species in 21 genera, of which only seventeen species from eight genera are depicted here.

Cricetidae (Voles, Hamsters, New World Rats and Mice)
About 700 species in about 140 genera, of which only 68 species from 38 genera are depicted here.

Muridae (Old World or "True" Mice and Rats, Gerbils, and Spiny Mice).
About 810 species in about 160 genera, of which 105 species from 45 genera are depicted here.


..............................................................


Total numbers for the whole Order, over both threads: there are about 2400 species in 504 genera, of which 463-465 species from 195 genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.




Suborder SCIUROMORPHA
(c.330 spp in 70 genera, of which 157 spp from 47 genera are depicted here)

Family Aplodontiidae - Sewellel or Mountain Beaver (1 sp - depicted as a museum specimen)
Family Sciuridae - Squirrels (c.300 spp in 60 genera - 148 spp from 40 genera are depicted)
Family Gliridae - Dormice (c.30 spp in 9 genera - 8 spp from 6 genera are depicted)


Suborder ANOMALUROMORPHA
(9 spp in 4 genera, of which four species from two genera are depicted here)

Family Anomaluridae - Anomalures or Scaly-tailed Squirrels (7 spp in 3 genera - two species from one genus are depicted)
Family Pedetidae - Springhares (2 spp in one genus - both species are depicted)


Suborder CASTORIMORPHA
(c.100 spp in 12 genera, of which 16 spp from 6 genera are depicted here)

Family Castoridae - Beavers (2 spp in 1 genus - both species are depicted)
Family Geomyidae - Pocket Gophers (c.35-40 spp in 6 genera - only 4 spp from 2 genera are depicted)
Family Heteromyidae - Kangaroo Rats and Kangaroo Mice (c.60 spp in 5 genera - only 10 spp from 3 genera are depicted)


Suborder HYSTRICOMORPHA
(c.300 spp in 72 genera, of which only 73-75 spp from 35 genera are depicted here)

Family Diatomyidae / Laonastidae - Laotian Rock Rat (1 sp - not depicted)
Family Ctenodactylidae - Gundis (5 spp in 4 genera - two species from two genera are depicted)
Family Bathyergidae - Blesmols or African Mole Rats (c.25 spp in 6 genera - 8 spp from 4 genera are depicted)
Family Hystricidae - Old World Porcupines (11 spp in 3 genera - 10 spp from 2 genera are depicted)
Family Petromuridae - Dassie Rat (1 sp - depicted)
Family Thryonomyidae - Cane Rats (2 spp in 1 genus - one species is depicted)
Family Erethizontidae - New World Porcupines (c.17 spp in 3 genera - 12 spp from all 3 genera are depicted)
Family Chinchillidae - Chinchillas and Viscachas (7 spp in 3 genera - 4 spp from all 3 genera are depicted)
Family Dinomyidae - Pacarana (1 sp - depicted)
Family Caviidae - Cavies (c.20 spp in 6 genera - 11 or 12 spp from all 6 genera are depicted)
Family Dasyproctidae - Agoutis (c.13 spp in 2 genera - 8 or 9 spp from both genera are depicted)
Family Cuniculidae - Pacas (2 spp in 1 genus - both are depicted)
Family Ctenomyidae - Tuco-tucos (c.65 spp in 1 genus - 3 spp are depicted)
Family Octodontidae - Octodonts (14 spp in 8 genera - 2 spp from 2 genera are depicted)
Family Abrocomidae - Chinchilla Rats (c.10 spp in 2 genera - one species is depicted)
Family Echimyidae - New World Spiny Rats (c.90 spp in 21 genera - 4 spp from 3 genera are depicted)
Family Myocastoridae - Coypu (1 sp - depicted)
Family Capromyidae - Hutias (c.13 spp in 5 genera - 2 spp from 2 genera are depicted)


Suborder MYOMORPHA
(c.1680 spp in c.346 genera, of which only 213 spp from 105 genera are depicted here)

Family Dipodidae - Jerboas and Jumping Mice (c.50 spp in 16 genera - 14 spp from 8 genera are depicted)
Family Platacanthomyidae - Spiny Dormice (3 spp in 2 genera - one species is depicted)
Family Spalacidae - Mole-Rats and Bamboo Rats (c.30-40 spp in 6 genera - 7 spp from 4 genera are depicted)
Family Calomyscidae - Mouse-like Hamsters (8 spp in one genus - one species is depicted)
Family Nesomyidae - Madagascan and African Rats and Mice (c.65-70 spp in 21 genera - 17 spp from 8 genera are depicted)
Family Cricetidae - Voles, Hamsters, and New World Rats and Mice (c.700 spp in c.140 genera - 68 spp from 38 genera are depicted)
Family Muridae - Old World or "True" Mice and Rats, Gerbils, and Spiny Mice (c.810 spp in c.160 genera - 105 spp from 45 genera are depicted)


(The first thread is here: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part one)
 
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With the completion of Rodentia I have gone through and counted up all the photo credits for both threads.

In this thread (part two) there are c.1680 species, of which 213 species are depicted. There is currently a total of 269 photos in the thread, from 59 Zoochat members.

For comparison, part one had 250-252 species depicted out of c.740, a much greater percentage which was largely due to squirrels because squirrels are awesome. The ratio of photos to species was also much higher, with 452 photos used to illustrate them (due to images of multiple subspecies being available in the galleries). And those 452 photos were taken by 93 Zoochat members. The photo credit list for part one can be seen in this post: The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part one (post #246)

[I will keep these lists updated as photos are added/removed/changed. Last updated 25 August 2025]


The photo credits for this part two thread are below:

One photo:
@Arizona Docent
@Baldur
@birdsandbats
@ChunkyMunky pengopus
@Coelacanth18
@devilfish
@d1am0ndback
@Elephas Maximus
@FunkyGibbon
@Glutton
@Green_mamba
@GregOz
@gulogulogulo
@Jana
@jayjds2
@Kudu21
@Little orca
@Malayan Tapir
@Mehdi
@Merintia
@Nanook
@ralph
@remar
@robmv
@Sicarius
@twilighter
@UngulateNerd92
@Writhedhornbill
@Yoshistar888

Two photos:
@gentle lemur
@Goura
@Hix
@Kakapo
@Michal Sloviak
@Mo Hassan
@Newzooboy
@Peter
@Tomek
@WhistlingKite24
@Zooish

Fewer than ten photos:
@alexkant (three photos)
@BeardsleyZooFan (three photos)
@Ituri (three photos)
@lintworm (three photos)
@zoo_sipsik (three photos)
@Deer Forest (four photos)
@Jakub (four photos)
@Pleistohorse (four photos)
@ThylacineAlive (four photos)
@baboon (five photos)
@LaughingDove (five photos)
@ro6ca66 (five photos)
@TeaLovingDave (five photos)
@Chlidonias (six photos)
@HOMIN96 (six photos)

Ten or more photos:
@vogelcommando (fifteen photos)
@Najade (twenty-two photos)
@Maguari (twenty-one photos)
@Giant Eland (ninety-eight photos)
 
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In both threads combined there are c.2400 species, of which 463-465 species are depicted. There is currently a total of 721 photos in the two threads, from 116 Zoochat members.

[I will keep these lists updated as photos are added/removed/changed. Last updated 29 October 2025]


One photo:
@amur leopard
@Anteaterman
@Arek
@AWP
@Azubaa
@Baldur
@bongorob
@branta68
@Bwassa
@carl the birder
@David Matos Mendes
@Deer Forest2
@d1am0ndback
@Dr. Wolverine
@Elephantlover
@Elephas Maximus
@EternalPigeon
@Fallax
@fofo
@FunkyGibbon
@Ggrarl
@Glutton
@Green_mamba
@GregOz
@gulogulogulo
@Jana
@Javan Rhino
@jayjds2
@jbnbsn99
@Jordan-Jaguar97
@Juancho
@Kudu21
@Little orca
@Mehdi
@Merintia
@mhale
@Nanook
@Neil chace
@Nick@Amsterdam
@Orycteropus
@pangolin12
@Parrotsandrew
@Patzookeep
@PossumRoach
@RatioTile
@remar
@Rizz Carlton
@robreintjes
@Semioptera
@snowleopard
@Sun Bear
@Tim May
@twilighter
@woolyrat
@Writhedhornbill
@Yoshistar888
@Zaz
@zoogiraffe

Two photos:
@carlos55
@ChunkyMunky pengopus
@Coelacanth18
@DesertTortoise
@Ding Lingwei
@Great Argus
@Joker1706
@KevinB
@Malayan Tapir
@Michal Sloviak
@nikola
@Patrick87
@Peter
@ralph
@red river hog
@savethelephant
@Therabu
@toto98
@UngulateNerd92
@WhistlingKite24
@Yassa

Fewer than ten photos:
@BeardsleyZooFan (three photos)
@birdsandbats (three photos)
@Daniel Sörensen (three photos)
@J I N X (three photos)
@MagpieGoose (three photos)
@Mo Hassan (three photos)
@Toki (three photos)
@Zooish (three photos)
@Kakapo (four photos)
@ronnienl (four photos)
@Vision (four photos)
@lintworm (five photos)
@zoo_sipsik (five photos)
@Goura (six photos)
@Sicarius (six photos)
@TeaLovingDave (six photos)
@Arizona Docent (seven photos)
@baboon (seven photos)
@HOMIN96 (seven photos)
@Newzooboy (seven photos)
@gentle lemur (eight photos)
@Jakub (eight photos)
@alexkant (nine photos)

Ten or more photos:
@Deer Forest (ten photos)
@Pleistohorse (ten photos)
@ro6ca66 (ten photos)
@Hix (eleven photos)
@Tomek (eleven photos)
@devilfish (thirteen photos)
@ThylacineAlive (sixteen photos)
@vogelcommando (twenty-three photos)
@LaughingDove (twenty-five photos)
@Najade (twenty-six photos)

Over thirty photos:
@Ituri (thirty-two photos)
@Maguari (thirty-eight photos)
@Chlidonias (sixty photos)

Too many photos:
@Giant Eland (219 photos)
 
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These extra species occur in ZTL:

Jerboas and jumping mice
Kluchor birch mouse (Sicista kluchorica)
Southern birch mouse (S subtilis)
Severtzov’s jerboa (Allactaga severtzovi)
Euphrates jerboa (Allactaga or Scarturus euphraticus)
Gobi jerboa (Allactalaga or Orientallactaga bullata)
Dwarf fat-tailed jerboa (Pygeretmus pumilio)
File-toed pygmy jerboa (Cardiocranius paradoxus)

Spiny dormice
Chapa tree mouse (Typhlomys chapensis)

Eurasian mole-rats
Demon mole-rat (Tachyoryctes daemon)

Madagascan and African mice and rats
Southern African pouched mouse (Saccostomus campestris)
White-tailed tree rat (Brachytarsomys albicauda)

Cricetids
Afghan vole (Blanfordimys afghanus)
Mandarin vole (Lasiopodomys mandarinus)
Common vole (Microtus arvalis)
Cabrera vole (M cabrerae)
Tien Shan v (M ilaeus)
Common pine vole (M subterraneus)
Transcaspian vole (M transcaspicus)
Eastern mole vole (Ellobius tancrei)
Northern mole vole (E talpinus)
Southern mole vole (E fuscocapillus)
Norway brown lemming (Lemmus lemmus)
Siberian brown lemming (L sibiricus)
Mountain vole (Alticola semicanus)
Flat-headed mountain vole (A strelzovi)
Silver mountain vole (A argentatus)
Grey red-backed vole (Myodes or Craseomys rufocanus)
Mongolian hamster (Allocricetulus curtatus)
Striped dwarf hamster (Cricetulus barabensis)
Sokolov’s dwarf hamster (C sokolovi)
Grey dwarf hamster (Cricetulus or Nothocricetulus migratorius)
Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli)
Striped dwarf hamster (P sungorus)
Northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster)
Santa Lucia giant rice rat (Megalomys luciae)
Long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus)
Olive soft-furred mouse (Abrothrix olivacea)
Darwin’s leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis darwiniii)

Murids
Grey spiny mouse (Acomys cineraceus)
Wilson’s spiny mouse (A wilsoni)
Cape short-eared gerbil (Desmodillus auricularis)
Lesser short-tailed gerbil (Dipodillus simoni)
Wagner’s gerbil (D dasyurus)
Cape gerbil (Gerbilliscus afer)
Fringe-tailed gerbil (G robustus)
Pygmy gerbil (Gerbillus henleyi)
Cheesman’s gerbil (G cheesmani)
Flower’s gerbil (G floweri)
Greater Egyptian gerbil (G pyramidum)
Lesser Egyptian gerbil (G gerbillus)
Least gerbil (G pusillus)
Indian hairy-footed gerbil (G gleadowi)
Buxton’s jird (Meriones sacrimenti)
Indian desert jird (M hurrianae)
King jird (M rex)
Tamarisk jird (M tamariscus)
Indian gerbil (Tatera indica)
Emin’s tateril (Taterillus emini)
Abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus)
Single-striped grass mouse (Lemniscomys rosalia)
Tullberg’s soft-furred mouse (Praomys tullbergi)
Sundevall’s thallomys (Thallomys paedulcus)
Herb field mouse (Apodemus uralensis)
Mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus)
Short-tailed bandicoot rat (Nesokia indica)
 
I have uploaded photos for three "new" Australian species and added them to the thread, albeit all photos of mounted museum specimens. They can be seen also in the gallery for the Queensland Museum.

Long-haired Rat Rattus villosissimus and Fawn Hopping Mouse Notomys cervinus are both from genera already represented (by six and two other species, respectively).

The Water Mouse Xeromys myoides is from a monotypic genus and was also the first species depicted for the "Xeromys division" of Murinae.

I have also added in a fourth "new" species - a photo of a live animal this time - by @Giant Eland, with Southern Red-backed Vole Myodes gapperi. There were three other Myodes already represented in the thread.

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Just added photos of 2 "missing" species ( Lesser Egyptian gerbil - Gerbillus gerbillus and Cheesman's gerbil - Gerbillus cheesmani ) in the 'Animals at Shows"-Gallery.
Also a photo of a living Shaw's gerbil - Meriones shawi which was sofar represented by a stuffed animal :).
 
Just added photos of 2 "missing" species ( Lesser Egyptian gerbil - Gerbillus gerbillus and Cheesman's gerbil - Gerbillus cheesmani ) in the 'Animals at Shows"-Gallery.
Also a photo of a living Shaw's gerbil - Meriones shawi which was sofar represented by a stuffed animal :).
Thanks. I have added in the photos of Lesser Egyptian Gerbil and Cheesman's Gerbil - both new species for the thread - and have replaced my photo of the stuffed Shaw's Jird with your photo of a live animal. Additionally, from the same batch of photos, I used the ones of Steppe Lemming and Chinese Hamster which both replaced photos by zoogiraffe.
 
I've added in a species which I overlooked, Gobi Jerboa Allactaga bullata by @Deer Forest (the photo was titled as being a Mongolian Five-toed Jerboa originally and I missed the comment under it; I checked the two species out and Gobi Jerboa looks good although the two species are very similar).

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Gobi jerboa - ZooChat
 
Another new species for the thread, the Balkan Snow Vole Dinaromys bogdanovi, uploaded by @LegoOwl. Furthermore, not just a new species for the thread but also a new genus, and also a new Tribe of Arvicolinae (the one-member Pliomyini).

Indeed; I was rather hoping to be the one to break that particular barrier with my belated trip scheduled for last month, but alas! :P ;)
 
Indeed; I was rather hoping to be the one to break that particular barrier with my belated trip scheduled for last month, but alas! :p ;)
Well if you get there at a later date and can obtain a better photo...
 
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Well if you get there are a later date and can obtain a better photo...

Certainly aim to - quite apart from anything else, I want to see olm :P and getting a dozen Croatian native snakes for my European herp thread would be good too.
 
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