List of rodents

Rodentia is an order of placental mammals. Members of this order are called rodents. The order comprises 2,360 extant species, which are grouped into 511 genera. The largest order of mammals, rodents comprise about 40% of all mammal species worldwide. They are native to all major land masses except for Antarctica, and can be found worldwide. They live in a variety of habitats, particularly forests, grasslands, and shrublands, but also savannas, wetlands, deserts, and rocky areas. Most rodents are small animals with robust bodies, short limbs, and long tails. They range in length from the African pygmy mouse, at 4 cm (2 in) plus a 2 cm (1 in) tail, to the capybara, at 134 cm (53 in) plus a 2 cm (1 in) tail.

Rodentia is divided into five suborders: Anomaluromorpha, Castorimorpha, Hystricomorpha, Myomorpha, and Sciuromorpha. The suborders are further subdivided into clades and families. Anomaluromorpha contains two families, the scaly-tailed squirrels and the springhares. Castorimorpha contains three families and includes beavers, gophers, kangaroo rats, and pocket mice. Hystricomorpha contains 18 families and includes mole-rats, porcupines, cavies, hutias, tuco-tucos, and Neotropical spiny rats. Myomorpha contains nine families and includes jerboas, hamsters, voles, and a wide variety of rats and mice. Sciuromorpha contains three families and includes squirrels, chipmunks, and dormice. The exact organization of the species is not fixed, with many recent proposals made based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. In addition to the extant rodents, 38 species have been recorded as going extinct since 1500 CE.