Cape spiny mouse
Acomys subspinosus (Waterhouse, 1838)
The cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 21 g to 32.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the cape spiny mouse
- Weight
- 21 g – 32.3 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the cape spiny mouse live?
Not recorded
What is the cape spiny mouse?
The Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus) is a murid rodent found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. They have a dorsal covering of spiny hairs with dark grey-brown colouration, and a white underbelly. The Cape spiny mouse has large eyes and ears and a scaly, nearly bald tail that is brittle and can break off readily either as a whole or in part if it is caught. Their total length is 17 cm (6.7 in), with an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail, and they typically weigh 22 g (0.78 oz).
From the Wikipedia article “Cape spiny mouse” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_spiny_mouse&oldid=1382803369), 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 cape spiny mouse endangered?
The cape spiny mouse 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.
How is the cape spiny mouse classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyMuridae
- genusAcomys
- SpeciesAcomys subspinosus (Waterhouse, 1838)
Synonyms Mus subspinosus
Other names and names in other languages (9)
- Kaapse stekelmuisAfrikaans
- Kap-StachelmausGerman
- Ratón Espinoso Africano de El CaboSpanish
- kapinokahiiriFinnish
- Rat épineux du CapFrench
- Souris épineuse du CapFrench
- スーダントゲマウスJapanese
- kolcomysz przylądkowaPolish
- Капская иглистая мышьRussian
Relatives of the cape spiny mouse
Other species in the same genus Acomys.
Cairo spiny mouse
Acomys cahirinus
Golden spiny mouse
Acomys russatus
Crete spiny mouse
Acomys minous
Asia minor spiny mouse
Acomys cilicicus
Eastern spiny mouse
Acomys dimidiatus
Gray spiny mouse
Acomys cineraceus
CompareCape spiny mouse vs Cairo spiny mouseCape spiny mouse vs Golden spiny mouseCape spiny mouse vs Crete spiny mouseCape spiny mouse vs Asia minor spiny mouse
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the cape spiny mouse?
An adult cape spiny mouse weighs 21 g – 32.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the cape spiny mouse endangered?
The cape spiny mouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the cape spiny mouse?
The cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus) 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 - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - 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). Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spiny-mouse
“Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spiny-mouse.
@misc{cape_spiny_mouse_2026,
title = {Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spiny-mouse},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}