To which class do mice belong? - briefly
Mice are classified in the class Mammalia. Within mammals they are placed in the order Rodentia.
To which class do mice belong? - in detail
Mice are members of the class Mammalia. As warm‑blooded vertebrates, they possess hair, mammary glands, and three middle ear bones, all defining traits of this class.
Within Mammalia, mice belong to the subclass Theria, infraclass Eutheria (placental mammals), order Rodentia, family Muridae, subfamily Murinae, genus Mus, with the common house mouse identified as Mus musculus.
Key taxonomic levels:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Subclass: Theria
- Infraclass: Eutheria
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Muridae
- Subfamily: Murinae
- Genus: Mus
- Species: M. musculus (house mouse) and related species
These classifications reflect the evolutionary relationships that place mice firmly within the mammalian class, characterized by their specific anatomical and reproductive features.