Busch lamellar tooth rat
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Bush lamellar tooth rat ( Myotomys unisulcatus ) |
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| Myotomys unisulcatus | ||||||||||||
| ( F. Cuvier , 1829) |
The bush lamellar tooth rat ( Myotomys unisulcatus , Syn .: Otomys unisulcatus ) is a rodent in the subfamily of the old world mice (Murinae) that occurs in southwest Africa .
features
The species reaches a head body length of 11 to 20.5 cm, a tail length of 6.3 to 10.6 cm and a weight of 61 to 156 g. The hind feet are 2.2 to 3.2 cm long and the length of the ears is 2.0 to 3.3 cm. The long, dense and shaggy fur on the top is made up of hairs that are gray near the roots while the tips of the hair are brown to yellow-brown in color. Long black hair is mixed in, especially on the head and back. The underside is similarly colored, but lighter and without black hair. The black color of the short bristles on the upper side of the tail is characteristic, although in some specimens the underside is also black. In other individuals, the underside is whitish.
The Busch lamellar tooth rat has rounded dark ears that are not bare and do not have any other colored ring around the eyes. The grooves in the incisor teeth typical of all lamellar tooth rats (genera Otomys and Myotomys ) are well defined in the upper jaw, while they are indistinct or absent in the lower jaw. It is named after the lamellae from which the molars are built.
distribution
The distribution area of the bush lamellar tooth rat is in the South African provinces of the Eastern Cape , Western Cape and North Cape as well as in southern Namibia . It lives in the Succulent Karoo , in other areas of the semi-desert Karoo marked by bushes (predominantly of the genus Buckthorn ) and reaches the biome Fynbos . The species lives mostly in rocky landscapes. It is often found in river beds that have dried up at times. In the dunes on the west coast of South Africa, the bush lamellar tooth rat lives in sheltered areas.
Way of life
The species resembles the American bush rats ( Neotoma ) and the Australian bunny rats ( Leporillus ) in their behavior . She builds a dome-shaped nest from twigs and plant stems, which can reach a diameter of 130 cm and a height of 45 cm. Other objects such as bones, cow dung and stones are also used for construction. Occasionally this rodent digs a tunnel up to 30 cm deep under the burrow as a place of retreat. This tunnel has 1 or 2 chambers that are padded with shredded plant parts. Usually the nest is next to a bush that is occasionally included. Several nests can be close together. In the cold, eastern part of the range, these are probably connected underground. Inside the nest there is a microclimate on which the bush-lamellar tooth rat is likely to depend. According to research, she is sensitive to heat and her kidneys are not adapted to the dry semi-desert. The beneficiaries of the microclimate are various beetles, spiders and fungi that could not exist outside the burrow.
The Busch lamellar tooth rat is active during the day and at dusk. It leaves its burrow at moderate temperatures. If the conditions are favorable, she can move outdoors for three hours throughout the day.
Each building can be inhabited by up to eight copies. The social structure of these groups has not yet been adequately researched. Probably the most common form is a pair of parents with offspring from different litters. Fighting occasionally occurs between group members.
food
The species only eats parts of plants. The composition of the food can vary greatly depending on the offer. Food sources include leaves and branches of bushes and trees, as well as herbs, succulents, and fruits. Gnawed branches with foliage are usually carried to the building before they are eaten. The plant parts are occasionally larger than the rodent itself. The bush-lamellar tooth rat can climb in bushes while foraging for food, whereby it usually reaches a height of one meter above the ground. She rarely climbs up to 3 meters in height. Distant branches are often recognizable as holes in the bush.
Reproduction
Depending on the distribution, females can be ready to mate in all seasons or only in summer. The summer limitation affects the eastern populations. Females from other populations are likely to have a litter every 40 days. After an average gestation of 37 days, up to three offspring are born per litter. These are quite well developed for rodents with partial fur covering and open ear canals. The young animals are blind during the first week and suckle on one of the mother's teats. The offspring are able to mate at the earliest after five (females) or six weeks (males).
Predators
The Busch lamellar tooth rat falls victim to various predators. Their predators include foxes , mongooses , crawling cats , the black-backed jackal and the black cat . The rodent becomes prey for various birds of prey or for snakes such as the mole snake , cape cobra , boomslang and Psammophis notostictus .
Bush lamellar rat and humans
When this rodent visits arable land or plantations for food, it is fought as a pest by farms. For this purpose, the nests are usually set on fire. On the other hand, the bush-lamellar tooth rat receives favorable living conditions when humans chase away the predators of the rodent or when grazing animals create a favorable habitat.
The IUCN lists the species as not endangered (least concern) .
supporting documents
- ↑ Myotomys unisulcatus . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Tim P. Jackson: Otomys unisulcatus In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 594-596; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
- ↑ a b c Otomys unisulcatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2017 Posted by: Taylor, PJ & Monadjem, A., 2016. Accessed April 4, 2018th
- ↑ a b c d Mills & Hes: The Complete Book of Southern African Mammals . Struik Publishers, Cape Town 1997, ISBN 0-947430-55-5 , pp. 137 ( Karoo bush rat ). Karoo bush rat ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
