NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Kemp's Spiny Mouse
Acomys (Acomys) kempi Dollman, 1911
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
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Kemp's spiny mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:12:12.500738+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Acomys (Acomys) kempi Dollman, 1911
- Name authority
- Dollman, 1911
- Common name
- Kemp's Spiny Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Acomys
- 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
- subfamilyDeomyinae Thomas, 1888
- genusAcomys I. Geoffroy, 1838
- subgenusAcomys I. Geoffroy, 1838
- speciesAcomys (Acomys) kempi Dollman, 1911
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Acomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) nesiotes Bate, 1903 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northeast African Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) cahirinus (É. Geoffroy, 1803) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crete Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) minous Bate, 1906 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape Spiny MouseAcomys (Subacomys) subspinosus (Waterhouse, 1838) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chudeau's Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) chudeaui Kollman, 1911 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) cineraceus Fitzinger & Heuglin, 1866 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fiery Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) ignitus Dollman, 1910 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Acomys (Acomys) ngurui Verheyen, Hulselmans, Wendelen, Leirs, Corti, Backeljau & Verheyen, 2011 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Acomys (Acomys) selousi De Winton, 1896 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern African Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) spinosissimus Peters, 1852 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Turkish Spiny MouseAcomys (Acomys) cilicicus Spitzenberger, 1978 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Acomys ignitus montanus Heller, 1914 Heller, 1914 | synonym |
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=585103 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:9FZ5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.