NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Woosnam's Zelotomys
Zelotomys woosnami (Schwann, 1906)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Woosnam's broad-headed mouse or Woosnam's zelotomys (Zelotomys woosnami) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. Its tail is a little shorter than the combined length of its head and body. Fur is streaked tan, black, and light grey. The top of its feet and tail are white and it has off-white underparts. Weight is 55 g, total length is 24 cm, and tail length is 11 cm. It is nocturnal and it nests in burrows. Diet consists of insects and seeds. Its litters are born in summer; up to 11 pups are in a litter.
Wikipedia contributors, Woosnam's broad-headed mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:36:22.667016+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Zelotomys woosnami (Schwann, 1906)
- Name authority
- (Schwann, 1906)
- Common name
- Woosnam's Zelotomys
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Zelotomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
- subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
- genusZelotomys Osgood, 1910
- speciesZelotomys woosnami (Schwann, 1906)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Zelotomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hildegarde's ZelotomysZelotomys hildegardeae (Thomas, 1902) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585616 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5CZW6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.