To what category do rats and mice belong? - briefly
Rats and mice are members of the order Rodentia, specifically within the family Muridae and subfamily Murinae. They are classified as murine rodents.
To what category do rats and mice belong? - in detail
Rats and mice are mammals belonging to the class Mammalia and the phylum Chordata. Their taxonomic placement proceeds as follows:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Muridae
- Subfamily: Murinae
- Genera: Rattus (rats), Mus (mice)
Both genera are part of the same subfamily, which groups together rodents that share similar dental and skeletal characteristics. The order Rodentia distinguishes them from other mammals by the presence of continuously growing incisors that require constant gnawing. Within Muridae, the family is defined by a combination of skull morphology, auditory bulla structure, and genetic markers.
Species-level distinctions arise at the genus level. Rattus includes larger species such as the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus). Mus comprises smaller species, the most common being the house mouse (Mus musculus). These genera differ in body size, reproductive rates, and ecological preferences, but they share the fundamental rodent traits that place them in the same taxonomic hierarchy.
The classification reflects evolutionary relationships confirmed by morphological studies and molecular phylogenetics, which show that rats and mice diverged from a common murine ancestor several million years ago. Their placement in the subfamily Murinae indicates close genetic affinity despite the observable differences in size and behavior.