What are mice and rats called in scientific classification? - briefly
Mice and rats belong to the order Rodentia, family Muridae, subfamily Murinae; the house mouse is classified as Mus musculus and the brown rat as Rattus norvegicus. Both share the same higher‑level taxa but are distinguished at the genus level.
What are mice and rats called in scientific classification? - in detail
Mice and rats belong to the class Mammalia, phylum Chordata, and kingdom Animalia. Their order is Rodentia, the largest group of mammals characterized by continuously growing incisors. Within Rodentia they are placed in the super‑family Muroidea, which comprises several families of small to medium‑sized rodents.
Both groups are members of the family Muridae, the “true mice and rats.” The family is divided into subfamilies; the relevant subfamily for laboratory and common species is Murinae. This subfamily contains the genera that are most frequently referred to as mice and rats.
- Genus Mus – the true mice. The most widespread species is Mus musculus (the house mouse). Other species include Mus spretus (Algerian mouse) and Mus spicilegus (steppe mouse).
- Genus Rattus – the true rats. Principal species are Rattus norvegicus (the Norway or brown rat) and Rattus rattus (the black rat). Additional species such as Rattus exulans (the Polynesian rat) are also classified here.
Taxonomic hierarchy for a typical house mouse:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Super‑family: Muroidea
- Family: Muridae
- Subfamily: Murinae
- Genus: Mus
- Species: Mus musculus
Taxonomic hierarchy for a typical Norway rat:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Super‑family: Muroidea
- Family: Muridae
- Subfamily: Murinae
- Genus: Rattus
- Species: Rattus norvegicus
Molecular phylogenetics has refined relationships within Murinae, confirming that Mus and Rattus are sister clades within the tribe Rattini. The distinction between “mouse” and “rat” in common language does not reflect a formal taxonomic rank; it is a vernacular classification based on size and ecological niche rather than a separate lineage.