Balkan Yam vs Colombian Oldfield Mouse

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Thomasomys dispar

Key Differences

• Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while Colombian Oldfield Mouse is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	Colombian Oldfield Mouse
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Cricetidae
Genus	Dioscorea	Thomasomys
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Thomasomys dispar

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

Colombian Oldfield Mouse

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Yam	Colombian Oldfield Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Colombian Oldfield Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Colombian Oldfield Mouse

<em>Thomasomys dispar</em>, commonly known as the Colombian Oldfield Mouse, is a small rodent species belonging to the genus <em>Thomasomys</em> within the family Cricetidae. This species is classified as Data Deficient, indicating that insufficient information is currently available to evaluate its conservation status with confidence. It has been documented in Colombia, where it inhabits diverse terrestrial and aquatic-adjacent environments. Members of the genus <em>Thomasomys</em> are typically associated with high-altitude Andean habitats, including páramo grasslands, shrublands, and montane forest edges, where they occupy ground-level microhabitats and burrow in soft soils. These mice are generally omnivorous, consuming seeds, plant material, and invertebrates, though specific dietary data for <em>Thomasomys dispar</em> have not been recorded. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The Data Deficient classification highlights the need for targeted surveys in Colombian Andean regions to determine population size, distribution, and the ecological requirements of this poorly known rodent.