Tree sleeper
| Tree sleeper | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tree Dormouse ( Dryomys nitedula ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dryomys nitedula | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1778) |
The tree dormouse ( Dryomys nitedula ) is a mammal from the dormouse family . The strongly fragmented distribution area covers large parts of the southern Palearctic and extends from southeastern Central Europe to the east to western Mongolia and the northwest of the People's Republic of China . Tree sleepers are omnivores and live mainly in deciduous forests, but also in mixed and coniferous forests, in the forest steppe and in areas with extensive shrub vegetation.
The tree sleeper is the rarest type of sleeper in Germany. Secure evidence of the species is only available from the Isar and Inn valleys in Bavaria; the last date from the period 1976–1987. Due to its extreme rarity, the tree dormouse is an endangered species in Germany . The only remaining occurrence in Switzerland is in a north-facing stream valley. The animals were found there in a wood that accompanies the stream and consists of gray alder, bird cherry, clematis and other types of shrubbery (Tester & Müller 2000).
The tree dormouse is listed in Annex IV of Directive 92/43 / EEC (Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive) as a mammal species that must be strictly protected.
Way of life
The small animals, which are reminiscent of a squirrel in their body, are roughly the size of a wood mouse. Tree sleepers are skilled climbers, they live in forests with dense undergrowth. Most of their food consists of insects, but buds, leaves and oil-containing seeds are also eaten.
Tree sleepers are almost exclusively nocturnal. You spend the day in spherical nests, which are built in tree hollows and preferably in nest boxes, but also in old bird nests or crevices in the rock and also freely in the vegetation. The species is more soil-dwelling than other dormice when it is active at night.
The reproduction takes place in Eastern Europe mainly from April to June. Mating takes place in April and May, the first cubs are born in mid to late June. In Eastern Europe there is only one litter a year, in the south of the area there are also two or three. The litters include 2–6, mostly 4 young. The boys weigh 2 g at birth and their eyes open at around 16 to 18 days of age. The young are suckled for about three weeks; with 4 to 5 weeks they are self-employed. Sexual maturity is reached in the year following the birth. The animals usually live for around 2 years in the wild, up to a maximum of 4 years.
The animals hibernate in the north of the area from October to April . In climatically more favorable regions, the duration is significantly shorter. B. also fail completely in Israel.
features
The nocturnal tree dormouse can be recognized by its black face mask. It extends from the eyes to the front edge of the ears on a light brown to gray background. Another clear distinguishing feature of the species is the monochrome, bushy tail, which is slightly grayer than the back.
Tree sleepers are small dormice with medium-sized eyes and ears and a bushy tail. The head-trunk length is 80–113 mm, the tail length 73–119 mm, the length of the hind feet 19–24 mm and the ear length 10–15 mm. The animals weigh 15-60 g. The fur color on the top ranges from red-brown to yellowish brown to gray, the underside is sharply defined gray-yellow. The roughly full-length tail is a solid gray and only occasionally has a white tip. The hair length increases on the tail from the base to the tip. All feet have six soles.
distribution and habitat
The highly fragmented distribution area covers large parts of the southern Palearctic . It extends in a west-east direction from east Switzerland to the northeast, bypassing the Central Asian steppe to the south of the Urals , to the east and south in a relatively narrow zone to west Mongolia and north-west China. In a north-south direction, the area stretches from the Baltic States to the north of Israel; further in the east, the southernmost occurrences reach into central Iran and into the south of Pakistan . The northern limit of distribution is largely identical to the northern deciduous forest limit. Its height distribution extends from sea level up to 2,300 m altitude, whereby it is often found below 1,000 m.
The tree sleeper lives exclusively in forests. A large number of forest types are settled in its large distribution area, which extends far into Asia. Only dry pine forests with little undergrowth are avoided (Schedl 1968). In the Eastern Alps, the tree dormouse was found in moist, undergrowth-rich spruce and spruce-beech forests (Spitzenberger 2001).
Existence and endangerment
International protection: Habitats Directive (Appendix IV) and Bern Convention (Appendix III)
It is also included in many national red lists. It is considered extremely rare in Germany and is classified as potentially endangered in Switzerland.
literature
- Stéphane Aulagnier, Patrick Haffner, Anthony J. Mitchell-Jones, François Moutou, Jan Zima: The mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The destination guide. Haupt, Bern et al. 2009, ISBN 978-3-258-07506-8 , pp. 174-175.
- Anthony J. Mitchell-Jones, Giovanni Amori, Wieslaw Bogdanowicz, Boris Krystufek, PJH Reijnders, Friederike Spitzenberger, Michael Stubbe, Johan BM Thissen, Vladimiŕ Vohralik, Jan Zima: The Atlas of European Mammals. Poyser, London, 1999, ISBN 0-85661-130-1 , pp. 300-301.
- Erwin Stresemann (founder), Konrad Senglaub (ed.): Excursion fauna of Germany. Volume 3: Vertebrates. 12th, heavily edited edition. G. Fischer, Jena et al. 1995, ISBN 3-334-60951-0 , p. 406.
Web links
- Dryomys nitedula in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: Batsaikhan, N., Krystufek, B., Amori, G. & Yigit, N., 2008. Accessed January 8 of 2010.
Individual evidence
- ↑ BfN Appendix IV species: Tree dormouse (Dryomys nitedula). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 21, 2017 ; accessed on August 20, 2017 . 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.
- ↑ BfN Appendix IV species: Tree dormouse (Dryomys nitedula). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 21, 2017 ; accessed on August 20, 2017 . 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.
- ↑ Dryomys nitedula in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: Batsaikhan, N., Krystufek, B., Amori, G. & Yigit, N., 2008. Accessed January 8 of 2010.
- ↑ Tree dormouse - Dryomys nitedula - kleinsaeuger.at. Retrieved August 20, 2017 .
