Real bouncy mice
| Real bouncy mice | ||||||||||||
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Meadow |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Zapus | ||||||||||||
| Coues , 1875 |
The Real Hüpfmäuse ( Zapus ) also Feldhüpfmäuse called. They live in North America and prefer more humid habitats. They are nocturnal and are very good at climbing and swimming. They only hop on their back legs when they are on the run, otherwise they walk on all fours. When they jump, they can jump distances of over 2 m. In summer they build their nests in the grass or at the foot of trees using grass and leaves. In winter the nests are built on mounds or earth walls or they dig a burrow. The diet consists of seeds, fruits and small animals. For the long hibernation, the field hop mice create a fat depot at the tail root. Two to three times the female gives birth to 4 to 5 young after a gestation period of approx. 18 days.
species
- Meadow jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsonius )
- Western bouncy mouse ( Zapus princeps )
- Pacific bouncy mouse ( Zapus trinotatus )
The meadow jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsonius ) is the most widespread. It reaches a head-trunk length of 7 to 8 cm and a tail length of 10 to 15 cm.
literature
- Lexikon-Institut Bertelsmann (Hrsg.): The modern animal dictionary. In 12 volumes. Volume 5: Herk - Kle. Bertelsmann, Gütersloh 1980, ISBN 3-570-06785-8 , p. 110: Hüpfmäuse / actual jumping mice.
