Kemp's spiny mouse
Acomys kempi Dollman, 1911
The kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 22 g to 43.6 g and live up to 5.45 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the kemp's spiny mouse
- Weight
- 22 g – 43.6 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 5.45 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 7.48 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 38 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.47src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 58.5 dayssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 3.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- 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 kemp's spiny mouse live?
Not recorded
What is the kemp's spiny mouse?
Kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and rocky areas. It is one of only two mammals, the other being Acomys percivali, which can shed its skin. In addition (and as a result), it is known to be capable of completely regenerating damaged tissue, including hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur and cartilage.
From the Wikipedia article “Kemp's spiny mouse” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kemp%27s_spiny_mouse&oldid=1380889065), 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 kemp's spiny mouse endangered?
The kemp's 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. What the categories mean.
How is the kemp's spiny mouse classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyMuridae
- genusAcomys
- SpeciesAcomys kempi Dollman, 1911
Synonyms Acomys ignitus montanus
Other names and names in other languages (11)
- Kemp s spiny mouseEnglish
- Kemp’s spiny mouseEnglish
- Kemp’s spiny mouseEnglish
- bodlinatka KempovaCzech
- Kemp-StachelmausGerman
- kenianokahiiriFinnish
- Rat épineux de KempFrench
- Souris épineuse de KempFrench
- ケンプトゲマウスJapanese
- kolcomysz sawannowaPolish
- Иглистая мышь КемпаRussian
Relatives of the kemp's 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
Cape spiny mouse
Acomys subspinosus
CompareKemp's spiny mouse vs Cairo spiny mouseKemp's spiny mouse vs Golden spiny mouseKemp's spiny mouse vs Crete spiny mouseKemp's spiny mouse vs Asia minor spiny mouse
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the kemp's spiny mouse?
An adult kemp's spiny mouse weighs 22 g – 43.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the kemp's spiny mouse endangered?
The kemp's spiny mouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the kemp's spiny mouse live?
The kemp's spiny mouse has a recorded lifespan of 5.45 years.
How long is the kemp's spiny mouse pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 38 days.
What kind of animal is the kemp's spiny mouse?
The kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi) 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). Kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/kemps-spiny-mouse
“Kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/kemps-spiny-mouse.
@misc{kemps_spiny_mouse_2026,
title = {Kemp's spiny mouse (Acomys kempi)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/kemps-spiny-mouse},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}