Little pocket mouse
| Little pocket mouse | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Genus: | Perognathus |
| Species: | P. longimembris
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| Binomial name | |
| Perognathus longimembris (Coues,1875)
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Thelittle pocket mouse(Perognathus longimembris) is a species ofrodentin the familyHeteromyidae.It is found inBaja CaliforniaandSonorainMexicoand inArizona,California,Idaho,Nevada,OregonandUtahin theUnited States.[1]Its naturalhabitatis subtropical or tropical dry lowlandgrassland.It is a common species and faces no particular threats and theIUCNhas listed it as being of "least concern".
Five mice of this speciestravelled to and orbited the Moon 75 times in an experiment on board theApollo 17command modulein December 1972. Four of the mice survived the trip.[2]Six other little pocket mice were sent into orbit withSkylab 3in July 1973, though these animals died only 30 hours into the mission due to a power failure.[3][4]
Behavior
[edit]This small mouse, with a long tail, inhabits arid and semiarid habitats with grasses, sagebrush and other scrubby vegetation. It isnocturnaland has a short period of activity for the first two hours after sunset, and then sporadic activity through the rest of the night. It sleeps in winter and is only active between April and November with numbers building up rapidly in the spring, peaking in June and July. It forages for seeds, plant material and small invertebrates which it carries back to its burrow in itscheek pouches.[5]
Status
[edit]The little pocket mouse is common within most of its range although it is scarce in Baja California. The population appears to be steady and no particular threats have been identified for this species so theInternational Union for Conservation of Naturehas assessed it as being of "least concern".[1]
See also
[edit]- Pacific pocket mouse(Perognathus longimembris pacificus) — an endangered subspecies from coastal Southern California.
References
[edit]- ^abcLinzey, A.V. (2008)."Perognathus longimembris".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2008.Retrieved22 January2009.Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ^Haymaker, W., Look, B., Benton, E. & Simmonds, R.Biomedical Results of Apollo. Chapter 4: The Apollo 17 Pocket Mouse Experiment.NASA SP-368, 1975.
- ^Souza, Kenneth, Robert Hogan, and Rodney Ballard, eds.Life into Space: Space Life Sciences Experiments. NASA Ames Research Center 1965—1990Archived2009-03-21 at theWayback Machine.Washington D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1995. NASA Reference Publication-1372 (online version).
- ^Borkowski, G., Wilfinger, W. & Lane P. "Laboratory Animals in SpaceArchived2007-12-06 at theWayback Machine,"Animal Welfare Information Center Newsletter,Vol. 6 No. 2-4, Winter 1995/1996.
- ^O'Farell, Michael J. (1974). "Seasonal Activity Patterns of Rodents in a Sagebrush Community".Journal of Mammalogy.55(4):809–823.doi:10.2307/1379409.JSTOR1379409.
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Perognathus
- Fauna of the Southwestern United States
- Fauna of the Baja California Peninsula
- Rodents of Mexico
- Rodents of the United States
- Mammals described in 1875
- Least concern biota of North America
- Least concern biota of the United States
- Space-flown life
- Taxa named by Elliott Coues