Blind mulle
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| Lilljeborg , 1866 |
Blind mulle (Myospalacinae), also Asiatic mole rats or Zokors are a subgenus of rodents and belong to the mice . Their geographical distribution ranges from central Russia over eastern Siberia to Manchuria . They prefer higher forest and arable areas.
features
Blind mole rats live in tunnels and caves, which they dig underground , similar to moles . These burrows are up to two meters underground and can reach dimensions of almost a hundred meters. Blind mole rats feed on roots, tubers and ears of corn, which they pull down into their burrows, where the feed can also be stored. This way of life makes them crop pests.
The length of the head rump is between 16 and 27 cm, with a tail of 3 to 9 cm. Blind quills weigh 150 to 550 grams. In spring (March and April) the females give birth to four to six young animals.
Blind mole rats have gray, gray-brown or reddish-yellow fur that is much more strongly colored on the back than on the underside. Contrary to what their name suggests, blind mole rats are not blind, but their eyes are almost completely hidden in their fur.
Systematics
Blind mole rats are considered a subfamily of the Spalacidae . Occasionally they are also found as a tribe within the voles , but according to the analyzes by Lawrence 1991 they are an independent taxon at the base of the mice, which has acquired its few similarities to voles in convergent evolution . The root rats are discussed as close relatives .
Genus Myospalax
- Daurian blind mole rat , Myospalax aspalax , ( Pallas 1776 ), Mongolia, China, southern Siberia
- Siberian blind mole rat , Myospalax myospalax , ( Laxmann 1773 ), eastern Kazakhstan , southern Siberia, eastern Mongolia, Manchuria
- Transbaikal blind mole rat , Myospalax psilurus ( Milne Edwards 1874 ), southeast. Siberia , Eastern Mongolia , Manchuria
Genus Eospalax
- Chinese blind mole rat , Eospalax fontanierii ( Milne Edwards 1867 ), northern and central China
- Rothschild-Blindmull , Eospalax rothschildi , Thomas 1911 , Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubei
- Smith-Blindmull , Eospalax smithii , Thomas 1911 , Gansu , Shaanxi
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Marie A. Lawrence: A fossil Myospalax cranium (Rodentia: Muridae) from Shanxi, China, with observations on zokor relationships. In: Thomas A. Griffiths, David Klingener (Eds.): Contributions to Mammalogy. In Honor of Karl F. Koopman (= Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. No. 206, ISSN 0003-0090 ). American Museum of Natural History, New York NY 1991, pp. 261-286.
