Earth mouse
| Earth mouse | ||||||||||||
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Earth vole ( Microtus agrestis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Microtus agrestis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1761) |
The earth mouse ( Microtus agrestis ) is a mammal from the subfamily of voles (Arvicolinae). As a typical r-strategist, it is a common mammal in Central Europe and, like the field mouse, shows cyclical mass reproductions.
features
The earth mouse is on average slightly larger than the very similar field mouse and the fur is slightly darker, looser and longer-haired. The head-trunk length is 95-133 mm, the tail length 26-47 mm, the length of the hind foot 16-19 mm and the ear length 11-14 mm. The animals weigh 20–47 g, rarely up to 55 g. The fur is dark brown on top, occasionally reddish brown. The underside is whitish and occasionally tinged with yellow.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the earth vole covers large parts of the northern Palearctic . It extends in a west-east direction from Great Britain and northwestern Spain to Lake Baikal in Siberia . In a north-south direction, the area extends from the northern tip of Norway to central Portugal , north of Italy and south of Romania ; further east to the northern border of Kazakhstan .
The earth vole prefers relatively moist and cool habitats, in Central Europe above all light forests, clearings, grassy sanctuaries and wet meadows and of all small mammals in Central Europe it penetrates furthest into raised bogs . It occurs in the Alps up to an altitude of 1800 m.
Way of life
Earth mice are diurnal and nocturnal. The passage system is hidden above ground under grass and moss or laid flat below the surface of the ground. The droppings are located in the walkways. The food, which is probably exclusively plant-based, consists mainly of grass and herbs, and tree bark and roots are also eaten in winter.
The round nest is built flat below the surface of the ground or, if the soil is moist, above ground in sedge bulbs and the like. The earth mouse is a pronounced r-strategist and the population in many populations fluctuates strongly in a roughly four-year cycle. Similar to the field mouse, the species shows numerous adaptations to rapid reproduction under good conditions (high food supply and favorable weather), including a quick litter sequence, extremely early sexual maturity and the formation of nest communities by several females, in which the females also suckle foreign offspring . However, with a maximum of 8 young, the litters are slightly smaller than those of the field mouse, and a continuation of reproduction in winter is not yet known.
Existence and endangerment
The earth mouse is a common mammal in Central Europe and safe in Germany; the world population is also safe according to the IUCN .
swell
Individual evidence
literature
- Maria da Luz Mathias, E. Blake Hart, Maria da Graca Ramalhinho, Maarit Jaarola: Microtus agrestis (Rodentia: Cricetidae). Mammalian Species 49 (944), May 25, 2017; Pp. 23-39. doi : 10.1093 / mspecies / sex003
- 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. 200-201.
- 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. 226-227.
- 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. 424.
Web links
- Microtus agrestis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: Krystufek, B., Vohralík, V., Zima, J. & Zagorodnyuk, I., 2008. Accessed November 27 of 2009.
