CreatureData

Brown mouse lemur

Microcebus rufus (Lesson, 1840)

VUVulnerableprimates

The brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) is a species in the family Cheirogaleidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 42.5 g to 66.9 g and live up to 15.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)
Photo: Iraiidh · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the brown mouse lemur

Weight
42.5 g – 66.9 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
15.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
18.2 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
60.3 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
2.41src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
7.98 months – 9.83 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the brown mouse lemur live?

Not recorded

What is the brown mouse lemur?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the rufous mouse lemur, eastern rufous mouse lemur, red mouse lemur, or russet mouse lemur. Its dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown, while ventrally it is a whitish-grey.

The mouse lemurs are among the shortest-lived of primates. The brown mouse lemur has a lifespan of 6–8 years in the wild, although it averages 12 years under human care.

It can be found in rainforests in eastern Madagascar. It is a solitary and nocturnal creature.

From the Wikipedia article “Brown mouse lemur” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brown_mouse_lemur&oldid=1379736119), 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 brown mouse lemur endangered?

The brown mouse lemur is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the brown mouse lemur classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyCheirogaleidae
  6. genusMicrocebus
  7. SpeciesMicrocebus rufus (Lesson, 1840)

Synonyms Chirogaleus smithii, Gliscebus rufus

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Brown mouse-lemurEnglish
  • Brown mouse-lemurEnglish
  • Eastern rufous mouse lemurEnglish
  • Eastern rufous mouse lemurEnglish
  • Rufous mouse lemurEnglish
  • Rufous mouse lemurEnglish
  • Rufous mouse lemurEnglish
  • Rufous mouse-lemurEnglish
  • Rufous mouse-lemurEnglish
  • Russet mouse lemurEnglish
  • Russet mouse-lemurEnglish
  • Russet mouse-lemurEnglish
  • ليمور فأري بنيArabic
  • maki červenýCzech
  • Brauner MausmakiGerman
  • Καφέ ΠοντικολεμούριοςGreek
  • Maki RatSpanish
  • Lémur ratón marrónSpanish
  • Lémur Ratón RufoSpanish
  • pikkuhiirimakiFinnish
  • RuskohiirimakiFinnish
  • Microcèbe rouxFrench
  • Vörös egérmakiHungarian
  • Microcebo rossoItalian
  • Lemure nano rossoItalian
  • Lemure pigmeo rossoItalian
  • アカネズミキツネザルJapanese
  • Rytinis pelinis lemūrasLithuanian
  • Brun MuselemurNorwegian Bokmål
  • Rode MuismakiDutch
  • Rode MuislemurDutch
  • mikrusek rdzawyPolish
  • Коричневый мышиный лемурRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the brown mouse lemur

Other species in the same genus Microcebus.

CompareBrown mouse lemur vs Gray mouse lemurBrown mouse lemur vs Madame Berthe's mouse lemurBrown mouse lemur vs Pygmy mouse lemurBrown mouse lemur vs Gerp's mouse lemur

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the brown mouse lemur?

An adult brown mouse lemur weighs 42.5 g – 66.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the brown mouse lemur endangered?

The brown mouse lemur is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the brown mouse lemur live?

The brown mouse lemur has a recorded lifespan of 15.5 years.

How long is the brown mouse lemur pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 60.3 days.

What kind of animal is the brown mouse lemur?

The brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus) belongs to the family Cheirogaleidae in the order Primates.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-mouse-lemur

MLA

“Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-mouse-lemur.

BibTeX
@misc{brown_mouse_lemur_2026,
  title = {Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-mouse-lemur},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}