How many species of mice exist in nature? - briefly
The genus Mus includes roughly 30 recognized species, and when related genera such as Peromyscus are considered, the total number of distinct mouse species worldwide approaches 100.
How many species of mice exist in nature? - in detail
Mice belong primarily to the family Muridae, subfamily Murinae. Taxonomic surveys recognize roughly 30–35 distinct species within the genus Mus, the most familiar group of true mice. Additional mouse-like rodents are placed in genera such as Apodemus (field mice), Peromyscus (deer mice), Rattus (some species termed “mouse rats”), and Micromys (harvest mouse). When all recognized genera are summed, the total number of mouse species worldwide ranges from 70 to 80.
Key points:
- Genus Mus – 30–35 species, distributed across Europe, Asia, Africa, and introduced populations in Oceania and the Americas. Notable species include the house mouse (M. domesticus), the western European mouse (M. macedonicus), and the African pygmy mouse (M. minutoides).
- Genus Apodemus – 20–22 species, primarily in Eurasia. Examples: the wood mouse (A. sylvaticus) and the striped field mouse (A. agrarius).
- Genus Peromyscus – 30–35 species, native to North America. Representative species: the deer mouse (P. maniculatus) and the white-footed mouse (P. leucopus).
- Genus Micromys – a single widely accepted species, the harvest mouse (M. minutus), found throughout temperate Eurasia.
- Other genera – occasional mouse-like species are classified in Onychomys (grasshopper mice) and Neotoma (woodrats) but are usually treated as distinct groups rather than true mice.
Taxonomic revisions based on molecular phylogenetics continually refine species boundaries, occasionally splitting or lumping taxa. Consequently, the exact count fluctuates as new data emerge, but current consensus places the global diversity of mouse species between 70 and 80.