Ordinary degu
| Ordinary degu | ||||||||||||
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Ordinary degu ( Octodon degus ) |
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| Octodon degus | ||||||||||||
| ( Molina , 1782) |
The common degu or simply degu ( Octodon degus ) is a rodent species native to Chile from the genus of the shrub rats within the family of the Trug rats (Octodontidae). Degus have been kept as pets in Europe since the end of the 20th century .
features
Degus reach a head body length of 12 to 17 centimeters, plus a tail 8 to 13 centimeters long. The weight varies between 170 and 300 grams, with the males becoming slightly larger. Their fur is colored yellowish-brown on the upper side, the underside and the feet are whitish. A lighter pattern extends around the eyes and sometimes along the neck. The tail ends in a dark colored tassel. The tail skin can be easily torn off if the animal is attacked by a predator. The exposed part of the tail is then shed or gnawed off and does not grow back. The relatively large ears are also dark in color. The first four toes of the front and rear feet are well developed and end in claws, the fifth toe has receded. They have long, bristle-like hair on their hind feet.
The head is characterized by the large, dark eyes and the oval, finely hairy ears. The tooth formula of the degus is as with all guinea pig relatives I 1 - C 0 - P 1 - M 3, so they have a total of 20 teeth. The incisors are colored orange, the chewing surface of the molars roughly describes the shape of an eight, from which the scientific generic name Octodon is derived.
distribution and habitat
Degus are endemic to Chile . Their distribution area extends from the south of the Atacama region over the regions Coquimbo , Valparaíso , Santiago and O'Higgins to the north of the Región del Maule , which roughly corresponds to the area between the 28th and 35th parallel south. They live on the western slopes of the Andes at heights of up to 1200 meters. Their habitat is semi-arid shrubland with a Mediterranean climate called Matorral . They are cultural followers to a certain extent and can also cope with agricultural habitats such as cattle pastures.
Way of life
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Degus are diurnal, with activity highlights occurring in the early morning and late afternoon. They are active all year round and do not hibernate . They live together in groups and lead a partially underground-digging way of life. The groups are extended family groups and consist of one to two males and two to five females, mostly related to one another. Groups use common, self-dug burrows, which often form a complicated system of corridors and tunnels. The search for food always takes place outside the building, for this purpose they create trails. But you can also climb bushes. They are territorial animals, the size of the area is around 200 m² and the construction is in the center. They mark their territory and the tunnel entrances with piles of stones or excrement.
Sound and body language
A degu whistles shrilly when he wants to warn his fellow species. If he senses danger, he often petrifies for a short time and makes a garish sound. If the rest of the animals actually take the warning seriously, they scurry into hiding. Annoying squeaks can be heard by degus when they want to be left alone, especially while feeding. At the same time, they use their front paws to ward off conspecifics that try to sniff food between the other's paws or even to take it away.
food
Degus are pure herbivores who mainly eat leaves, bark and seeds from bushes and perennials. The preferred plants include the hammer shrub Cestrum palqui , the mimosa Mimosa cavenia , Proustia cuneifolia , the Melde Atriplex repunda , the acacia Acacia caven and the common heron beak ( Erodium cicutarium ). They prefer young, non-fibrous parts of the plant. Like all rodents, they have an enlarged appendix where the fermentation of plant food takes place. In addition, they practice cecotrophy , which means that they take in the moist appendix again in order to be able to use the food better.
In winter they store food in their burrows.
Reproduction
Degus usually breed once a year in the wild, only twice in very humid years. The mating season falls in the months of September to October (in the spring of the southern hemisphere). The males become significantly more aggressive during this time, they chase the other males out of the burrow and mark the burrow of "their" females with urine. For courtship among other mutual counts grooming and a ritual in which the male with his tail wagging and shaking with the whole body. Then the male lifts his hind leg and sprays urine on the female, while females ready to conceive can also spray the male with urine.
After a gestation period of around 90 days, the female gives birth to an average of four to six young animals. These are refugees , they are hairy and have open eyes. Young animals may be suckled not only by their own mother but also by the other females in the den. When they are two weeks old, they eat solid food for the first time, and the adult animals bring grass and other plant material into the burrow for them.
The young animals are weaned after four to six weeks, and according to various sources, sexual maturity occurs at 12 to 26 weeks. Until the age of around 9 months - until the first mating season approaches - they often stay in groups with same-sex animals.
Degus can live to be eight years old in human care; life expectancy in the wild is unknown.
Degus and people
In Chile degus are mostly considered a nuisance, as they can cause great damage in agriculture . They also dig deep caves in the ground in fields and eat seeds or parts of plants. According to the IUCN, they are not endangered species.
Due to their high sensitivity to sugar and susceptibility to diabetes mellitus , degus have been kept as experimental animals for research purposes in numerous countries since the 20th century . As a result of this international spread of degus in captivity, the animals have become increasingly popular as pets . Different color varieties are now being bred. In addition to piebald and lightened animals, there are also black cats.
Systematics
The common degu is one of four species of the bush rat or degus genus , which also includes the forest degu ( Octodon bridgesi ), the coastal degu ( O. lunatus ) and the endangered Pacific degu ( O. pacificus ). The common degu is the smallest of the four species; it also differs from the other species by its bushier tail and details in the structure of the molar teeth. The bush rats, in turn, are classified in the family of the Trug rats (Octodontidae), which occur with a total of 13 species in southern South America .
The first scientific description comes from the Chilean priest and naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina from 1782, who assigned the species as Sciurus degus to the squirrels (genus Sciurus ). The assignment to the genus of bush rats established by Edward Turner Bennett in 1832 was made in 1848 by George Robert Waterhouse .
supporting documents
- ↑ Degu color genetics . In: Small mammals sui generis . November 13, 2014 ( jimdo.com [accessed May 3, 2018]).
- ^ Charles A. Woods, David K. Boraker: Octodon degus. In: Mammalian Species . 67, 1975, pp. 1-5, (PDF; 544 kB).
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 .
- 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 .
- Charles A. Woods, David K. Boraker: Octodon degus. In: Mammalian Species . 67, 1975, pp. 1-5, (PDF; 544 kB).
Web links
- Information on keeping degus
- General information at Animal Diversity Web (English)
- Octodon degus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: E. Lessa, R. Ojeda, C. Bidau, 2008. Accessed on December 31 of 2008.