Zygodontomys brevicauda is attracted to areas near human disturbance and agricultural fields. In particular, it can be found on the borders of sugar cane fields and fields containing sorghum and corn, where they become pests by destroying the fields. Further, Z. brevicauda is a reservoir for many Neotropical viruses, including yellow fever, the Guanarito arenavirus that causes Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever, and various hantaviruses that can be spread to humans through rodent-human contact.

Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease); crop pest