Spiny pocket mouse
| Spiny 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: | Chaetodipus |
| Species: | C. spinatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Chaetodipus spinatus (Merriam,1889)
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Thespiny pocket mouse(Chaetodipus spinatus) is a species ofrodentin the familyHeteromyidaeand orderRodentia.It is found inBaja CaliforniainMexicoand inArizona,CaliforniaandNevada.[1]
Description
[edit]The spiny pocket mouse is characterized by long, flexible hairs and spines on its back.These spines differentiatesC. spinatusfrom pocket mice in other genera.[2]Their ears are small and round. They have long tails that are 126% of the length of their head and body. Their coat colors vary among islands but are generally brown on the tops of their bodies and tan on their sides. A spiny pocket mouse weighs about 13–18 g (0.46–0.63 oz). Their body length ranges from 164 to 225 mm (6.5 to 8.9 in).[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Spiny pocket mice are found in SouthernNevada,and in the islands of theGulf of Californiaat elevations up to 900m(3,000ft). They also range from southeast California to the south by the cape ofBaja California Peninsula(Mexico), where they are native. Because of its wide distribution and absence in agricultural areas, the spiny pocket mouse population faces little risk of extinction.[1]
Diet
[edit]This mouse's diet varies according to the habitat it lives in. Their diet probably consists ofseedsand green vegetation at times of rainfall. Since water is scarce in its habitat, it likely obtains most of its water from food.[1]
Ecology
[edit]The spiny pocket mouse isnocturnal.This characteristic allows the spiny pocket mouse to live in rough, rocky desert landscapes by taking refuge during the hot days.[1]"They sleep, breed, and raise their young in burrows."[according to whom?]Their main predator areferal cats.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefLinzey, A. V.; Timm, R.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S. T.; Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. (2008)."Chaetodipus spinatus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2008.Retrieved27 March2009.
- ^Merriam, C.H. (1889)."North American pocket mice".North American Fauna.Smithsonian Institution.Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2014.Retrieved21 April2014.Original publication;doi:10.3996/nafa.1.0001
- ^Lackey, James Alden (6 November 1991)."Chaetodipus spinatus"(PDF).Mammalian Species.The American Society of Mammalogists. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 April 2014.Retrieved21 April2014.
Further reading
[edit]- Anderson, R. P.; Weksler, M.; Rogers, D. S. (2006)."Phylogenetic analyses of spiny pocket mice (Heteromyidae: Heteromyinae) based on allozymic and morphological data".Journal of Mammalogy.87(6):1218–1233.doi:10.1644/06-MAMM-A-096R1.1.
- Patton, J. L. (2005). "Heteromyidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.).Mammal Species of the World(3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp.844–858.