To which category do rats and mice belong? - briefly
Rats and mice are classified as rodents, members of the order Rodentia. Within this order they belong to the family Muridae, with rats in the genus Rattus and mice in the genus Mus.
To which category do rats and mice belong? - in detail
Rats and mice are members of the mammalian order that comprises the largest group of living vertebrates. Their taxonomic placement follows a hierarchical structure that defines their biological relationships.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia («Rodents»)
- Family: Muridae («True mice and rats»)
- Subfamily: Murinae
Within this framework, the genus Rattus includes the common rat, while the genus Mus contains the typical house mouse. Both genera share characteristics typical of the subfamily Murinae, such as continuously growing incisors, a high reproductive rate, and omnivorous diets. Differences appear in size, skull morphology, and ecological preferences, but the overarching classification remains identical for both groups.