Spiny mouse's (Acomys Cahirinus) use of its distance senses in prey localization

This study examined the relative importance that olfaction, audition and vision played in the spiny mouse's localization of insect prey. These three senses were blocked singly or in various combinations so that a mouse was tested under 8 different situations with a tethered live cricket and four with a dead cricket. The mice did not rely on one particular sense more than the others, but in certain situations olfaction and audition proved more important than vision in the localization of a live cricket. In the case of a stationary cricket, the mice relied more on olfaction than vision. This pattern of use is what would be expected of a nonspecialized omnivore and may represent what ought to be found in many other rodent species.