[4] The spiny mouse is known to have relatively weak skin,[5] compared to Mus musculus, and tail autotomy.

[6] The Cairo spiny mouse is native to northern Africa with its range extending from Mauritania, Morocco, and Algeria in the west to Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt in the east at altitudes up to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

Breeding mostly takes place in the rainy season, between September and April, when availability of food is greater.

[7][8] Cairo spiny mice live in burrows or rock crevices and are mostly terrestrial, but they can also clamber about in low bushes.

Their diet includes seeds, nuts, fruit, green leaves, insects, spiders, molluscs, and carrion.

[11] The spiny mouse is also the first known rodent species to exhibit spontaneous decidualization and menstruation, potentially serving as a great candidate model to study menstrual related diseases.

[12] As of 2017[update], gene sequencing has been underway[13] to investigate this, and other unique physiological traits displayed by this species.