Togo Mouse

The entirety of known material for this species consists of a single, poor-quality dry skin, a fluid-preserved animal, and a cranium and mandible. The cranium and mandible are from different animals. The material is deposited in the Zoologisches Museum of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. The head and body length is 118 mm (4.6 in) with a tail of 37 mm (1.5 in). This tail is unusually short relative to the body length (ratio of 37%) and is considered an important diagnostic feature. The animal is dark-to-grey brown above and pale grey brown below. Its ears are small and hairy. The feet are also somewhat hairy. The tail may be naked or slightly haired. The incisors are shallowly grooved. The snout is long and wide, the interorbital width is broad, and the zygomatic plate is large. Based on skull morphology, the Togo mouse is presumed to be insectivorous. Very little is known about the habits of this unusual mouse.