Rodents include species that have colonized almost every available habitat on earth, and others that have adapted to human beings and followed them as they also spread across the globe. Volume 7 completes the order Rodentia—which represents arguably the most important order of mammals, both in terms of number of species, and in geographic distribution—covering the families contained in the suborder Myomorpha, including the two largest families, Cricetidae and Muridae.

This volume also includes a Special Chapter: Priorities for Conserving the World’s Rodents by Thomas Lacher Jr., Richard Young, Samuel Turvey, Rosalind Kennerley & Nicolette Roach.