CreatureData

Southern multimammate mouse

Mastomys coucha (A. Smith, 1834)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 43.5 g to 53.8 g and live up to 2.91 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha)
Photo: Marcus33 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the southern multimammate mouse

Weight
43.5 g – 53.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
2.91 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
7.96src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
3.56src 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 southern multimammate mouse live?

Not recorded

What is the southern multimammate mouse?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The southern multimammate mouse or southern African mastomys (Mastomys coucha) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae which is endemic to southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). It is called a multimammate mouse because it can have 8 to 12 pairs of mammae (milk producing glands), in comparison other mouse species only have 5 pairs.

From the Wikipedia article “Southern multimammate mouse” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_multimammate_mouse&oldid=1376669627), 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 southern multimammate mouse endangered?

The southern multimammate mouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  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 Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the southern multimammate mouse classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyMuridae
  6. genusMastomys
  7. SpeciesMastomys coucha (A. Smith, 1834)

Synonyms Mastomys coucha bradfieldi, Mus breyeri, Mus coucha, Mus limpopoensis, Mus marikquensis, Mus silaceus, Mus socialis

Other names and names in other languages (11)
  • South African multimammate mouseEnglish
  • Southern African MastomysEnglish
  • Southern African MastomysEnglish
  • Southern African multimammate mouseEnglish
  • VaalveldmuisAfrikaans
  • krysa maláCzech
  • eteläafrikannnisärottaFinnish
  • Souris à mammelles multiples du sudFrench
  • ミナミアフリカタチチマウスJapanese
  • myszorówka przylądkowaPolish
  • Южная многососковая мышьRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the southern multimammate mouse

Other species in the same genus Mastomys.

CompareSouthern multimammate mouse vs Natal multimammate mouseSouthern multimammate mouse vs Shortridge's multimammate mouseSouthern multimammate mouse vs Guinea multimammate mouseSouthern multimammate mouse vs Verheyen's multimammate mouse

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the southern multimammate mouse?

An adult southern multimammate mouse weighs 43.5 g – 53.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the southern multimammate mouse endangered?

The southern multimammate mouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the southern multimammate mouse live?

The southern multimammate mouse has a recorded lifespan of 2.91 years.

What kind of animal is the southern multimammate mouse?

The southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-multimammate-mouse

MLA

“Southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-multimammate-mouse.

BibTeX
@misc{southern_multimammate_mouse_2026,
  title = {Southern multimammate mouse (Mastomys coucha)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-multimammate-mouse},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}