---
title: "Nile Grass Rat"
description: "Arvicanthis niloticus — Mammals. The African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is a species of rodent in the family Murinae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/nile-grass-rat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Nile Grass Rat

> Arvicanthis niloticus — Mammals. The African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is a species of rodent in the family Murinae.

- Scientific name: *Arvicanthis niloticus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `savanna` (Savanna)
- iNaturalist observations: 416
- Wikidata: [Q515126](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q515126)
- iNaturalist taxon: [45671](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/45671)

## Names

- en: Nile Grass Rat
- de: Nilratte
- es: Rata de las Sabanas Africana Sub-Saheliana
- fr: Rat roussard du Nil
- nl: Koesoegrasrat
- pl: Kusu nilowy

## Countries with the most observations

TZ (149), KE (33), OM (12), SN (11), UG (10), ET (4), NG (4), SD (4)

## Summary

The African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is a species of rodent in the family Murinae.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_grass_rat

## Photo

![Nile Grass Rat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/nile-grass-rat/medium.jpg)

Photo: Irene · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/397052222

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/nile-grass-rat?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).