Servant mouse

Servant mouse
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Muridae
Genus:	Mus
Species:	M. famulus
Binomial name
Mus famulus Bonhote, 1898

The servant mouse (Mus famulus) or Bonhote's mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Western Ghats of South India, where it is restricted to the locations of Eravikulam National Park, Avalanche, Kalapatti, and Coonoor.

Habitat and Ecology

Servant Mouse is a nocturnal terrestrial rodent. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It is typically observed in the area having elevation in the range of 1540 m to 2400 m. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Conservation Status and Efforts

It has been classified as by IUCN as Endangered in 2008 primarily because of wide spread destruction of habitat. Current habitable region is estimated to be less than 500 sq. km. that too distributed in isolated regions. The habitat continues to decline in extent and quality.

Servant Mouse has been listed in the schedule V (Vermin) of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. 1972 amended in 2002.

References

• Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.