science

New World rats and mice

New World rats and mice is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand New World rats and mice rather than just read about it. In short: The New World rats and mice are a group of related rodents found in North and South America. They are diverse in appearance and ecology, ranging from the tiny Baiomys to the large Kunsia.

Key takeaways

New World rats and mice belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect New World rats and mice to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of New World rats and mice from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The New World rats and mice are a group of related rodents found in North and South America. They are diverse in appearance and ecology, ranging from the tiny Baiomys to the large Kunsia. They represent one of the few examples of muroid rodents (along with the voles) in North America, and the only example of muroid rodents to have made it into South America. The New World rats and mice are often considered part of a single subfamily, Sigmodontinae, but the recent trend among muroid taxonomists is to recognize three separate subfamilies. This strategy better represents the extreme diversity of species numbers and ecological types. Some molecular phylogenetic studies have suggested that the New World rats and mice are not a monophyletic group, but this is yet to be confirmed. Their closest relatives are clearly the hamsters and voles. The New World rats and mice are divided into 3 subfamilies, 12 tribes, and 84 genera.

Classification Family Cricetidae - hamsters, voles, and New World rats and mice Subfamily Tylomyinae Otonyctomys Nyctomys Tylomys Ototylomys Subfamily Neotominae Tribe Baiomyini Baiomys Scotinomys Tribe Neotomini Neotoma Xenomys Hodomys Nelsonia Tribe Ochrotomyini Ochrotomys Tribe Reithrodontomyini Peromyscus Reithrodontomys Onychomys Neotomodon Podomys Isthmomys Megadontomys Habromys Osgoodomys Subfamily Sigmodontinae Rhagomys incertae sedis Tribe Oryzomyini Oryzomys Nesoryzomys Melanomys Sigmodontomys Nectomys Amphinectomys Oligoryzomys Neacomys Zygodontomys Lundomys Holochilus Pseudoryzomys Microakodontomys Oecomys Microryzomys Scolomys Tribe Thomasomyini Chilomys Abrawayaomys Delomys Thomasomys Wilfredomys Aepomys Phaenomys Rhipidomys Tribe Wiedomyini Wiedomys Tribe Akodontini Akodon Bibimys Bolomys Podoxymys Thalpomys Abrothrix Chroeomys Chelemys Notiomys Pearsonomys Geoxus Blarinomys Juscelinomys Oxymycterus Lenoxus Brucepattersonius Scapteromys Kunsia Bibimys Tribe Phyllotini Calomys Eligmodontia Andalgalomys Graomys Salinomys Phyllotis Loxodontomys Auliscomys Galenomys Chinchillula Punomys Andinomys Irenomys Euneomys Neotomys Reithrodon Tribe Sigmodontini Sigmodon Tribe Ichthyomyini Neusticomys Rheomys Anotomys Chibchanomys Ichthyomys

References Centers for Disease Control, 2002. "Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome — United States: Updated Recommendations for Risk Reduction." Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, 51:09. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. D'Elia, G. 2003. Phylogenetics of Sigmodontinae (Rodentia, Muroidea, Cricetidae), with special reference to the akodont group, and with additional comments on historical biogeography. Cladistics 19:307-323. Mares, M. A., and J. K. Braun. 2000. Graomys, the genus that ate South America: A reply to Steppan and Sullivan. Journal of Mammalogy 81:271-276. McKenna, M. C. and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York. Steppan, S. J., R. A. Adkins, and J. Anderson. 2004. Phylogeny and divergence date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes. Systematic Biology, 53:533-553.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with New World rats and mice

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what New World rats and mice claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to New World rats and mice before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about New World rats and mice ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of New World rats and mice

In research: New World rats and mice appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses New World rats and mice in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: New World rats and mice is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cricetidae, Paraphyletic groups, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for New World rats and mice outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study New World rats and mice in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what New World rats and mice means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain New World rats and mice out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is New World rats and mice in simple terms?

The New World rats and mice are a group of related rodents found in North and South America. They are diverse in appearance and ecology, ranging from the tiny Baiomys to the large Kunsia.

Why does New World rats and mice matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study New World rats and mice?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on New World rats and mice.