Abyssinian grass rat
Arvicanthis abyssinicus (Rüppell, 1842)
The abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 73.3 g to 77.1 g and live up to 2.33 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the abyssinian grass rat
- Weight
- 73.3 g – 77.1 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 2.33 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the abyssinian grass rat live?
Not recorded
What is the abyssinian grass rat?
The Abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land, and pastureland.
From the Wikipedia article “Abyssinian grass rat” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abyssinian_grass_rat&oldid=1314084048), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the abyssinian grass rat endangered?
The abyssinian grass rat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the abyssinian grass rat classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyMuridae
- genusArvicanthis
- SpeciesArvicanthis abyssinicus (Rüppell, 1842)
Synonyms Mus abyssinicus
Other names and names in other languages (13)
- Ethiopian ArvicanthisEnglish
- Ethiopian ArvicanthisEnglish
- Ethiopian grass ratEnglish
- myš etiopskáCzech
- Äthiopische GrasratteGerman
- Abessinische GrasratteGerman
- etiopianruohorottaFinnish
- Rat roussard d’AbyssinieFrench
- Arvicante dell'EtiopiaItalian
- サバンナネズミJapanese
- Abessijnse GrasratDutch
- kusu abisyńskiPolish
- Абиссинская травяная мышьRussian
Relatives of the abyssinian grass rat
Other species in the same genus Arvicanthis.
African grass rat
Arvicanthis niloticus
Neumann's grass rat
Arvicanthis neumanni
Blick's grass rat
Arvicanthis blicki
Nairobi grass rat
Arvicanthis nairobae
Sudanian grass rat
Arvicanthis ansorgei
Guinean grass rat
Arvicanthis rufinus
CompareAbyssinian grass rat vs African grass ratAbyssinian grass rat vs Neumann's grass ratAbyssinian grass rat vs Blick's grass ratAbyssinian grass rat vs Nairobi grass rat
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the abyssinian grass rat?
An adult abyssinian grass rat weighs 73.3 g – 77.1 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the abyssinian grass rat endangered?
The abyssinian grass rat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the abyssinian grass rat live?
The abyssinian grass rat has a recorded lifespan of 2.33 years.
What kind of animal is the abyssinian grass rat?
The abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus) belongs to the family Muridae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/abyssinian-grass-rat
“Abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/abyssinian-grass-rat.
@misc{abyssinian_grass_rat_2026,
title = {Abyssinian grass rat (Arvicanthis abyssinicus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/abyssinian-grass-rat},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}