Harris antelope pebble

Harris antelope pebble
	Harris' antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus harrisii )
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe :	Real ground squirrels (Marmotini)
Genre :	Antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus )
Type :	Harris antelope pebble
Scientific name
	Ammospermophilus harrisii
	( Audubon & Bachman , 1854)

The Harris antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus harrisii ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of the antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus ). It occurs in southern Arizona , in the adjacent area of New Mexico and in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora .

features

The Harris antelope pebble reaches a head-torso length of about 21.6 to 26.7 centimeters and a tail length of 6.7 to 9.2 centimeters with a weight of 113 to about 150 grams. The back color is gray-brown, interspersed with reddish and yellowish-brown components in the area of the head and the hind legs. On either side of the body there is a single and distinct thin white line parallel to the spine. The belly side is white and extends sideways to the flanks. The tail is coal black to gray on top and gray on the underside, the tail hairs are black and white.

distribution

Distribution area of the Harris antelope pebble

The Harris antelope pebble occurs in southern Arizona east of the Colorado River , in the adjacent area in the extreme southwest of New Mexico in the Peloncillo Mountains and near Redrock and in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora . The altitude distribution is below 1350 meters.

Way of life

The Harris' antelope pebble lives in various desert habitats and mainly populates areas with cacti and shrubby vegetation.

Harris antelope pebble

The animals are diurnal and can be found throughout the year and do not build up any fat reserves. They live on the ground, but can climb cacti or piles of rubble very well. They feed omnivorously on cactus fruits and green plant parts as well as on plant seeds that they collect in their cheek pouches; There are also available insects. The animals live in flat and inconspicuous buildings, which are often created in the area of stones, cacti and bushes. Large seeds are often stored in the burrows. Within the burrows, a chamber is usually designed as a nest chamber and covered with nest material. The population densities are low and the animals are scattered over the distribution areas. The activity range of the individuals is on average around 275 meters from the building, which means that the areas used are only small. The animals move fast and hardly stand still, while they run with their tails towering across the desert floor in search of seeds. They can only stay for a while if they sit in a raised seat on a cactus or a hill. When threatened, they emit a long, monotonous trill.

The mating season takes place annually, it begins in late December and can continue into spring. The young are born in the burrows after a gestation period of 30 days, whereby a litter consists of an average of 6.5 young. With mild annual temperatures, two litters per year can occur. The young animals leave their maternal den for the first time after four to five weeks, after seven weeks they are weaned and after about 220 days they are fully grown.

Like other ground squirrels, the harris antelope ground squirrel is a potential prey for foxes, coyotes, raccoons, small cats, birds of prey and snakes.

Systematics

The Harris antelope pebble is classified as a separate species within the genus of the antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus ), which consists of five species. The first scientific description as Spermophilus harrisii comes from John James Audubon and John Bachman from 1854 on the basis of an individual from the Santa Cruz Valley, Santa Cruz County , in the Mexican border area. They named the species after Edward Harris, from whom they received the specimen. In 1889, Clinton Hart Merriam demarcated the white-tailed antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus leucurus , then known as Tamias leucurus ) from this species as a separate species. In 1907 the species was transferred by Edgar Alexander Mearns to the genus Ammospermophilus , which was also established by Merriam in 1862 .

Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :

Ammospermophilus harrisii harrisii : nominate form; occurs in the western part of the range up to the east bank of the Colorado River.
Ammospermophilus harrisii saxicolus : colonizes about 60% of the eastern distribution area, compared to the nominate form, the fur color of this subspecies is somewhat paler.

Status, threat and protection

The Harris antelope pebble is classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by the comparably large distribution area, the assumed large population numbers and the relatively small decline in populations . The stand density in the United States is low, ranging from 0.08 per hectare to 0.36 per hectare, with single individuals typically being sighted. In Mexico, the species is relatively common in suitable habitats.

The unintentional killing of animals by traps and poisons against pests is considered to be the main source of danger.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 250-251. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ammospermophilus harrisii in the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN 2015-4. Posted by: R. Timm, ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, 2008. Accessed May 16, 2016.

↑ ^a ^b Ammospermophilus harrisii In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): 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 Troy L. Best , Amy S. Titus, Katherine Caesar, Cynthia L. Lewis: Ammospermophilus harrisii . In: Mammalian Species . tape 366 , 1990, pp. 1–7 ( full text (PDF)). Full text ( memento of the original from March 15, 2016 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. @1@ 2
^ ^A ^b Clinton Hart Merriam : Description of a new species of ground squirrel from the arid lands of the southwest. North American Fauna 2, 1889; Pp. 19-21. ( Full text )

literature

Troy L. Best , Amy S. Titus, Katherine Caesar, Cynthia L. Lewis: Ammospermophilus harrisii . In: Mammalian Species . tape 366 , 1990, pp. 1–7 ( full text (PDF)).
Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 250-251. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

Web links

Commons : Ammospermophilus harrisii - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Ammospermophilus harrisii inthe IUCN 2015-4 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: R. Timm, ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, 2008. Accessed May 16, 2016.

Matthew Haloostock: Ammospermophilus harrisii on the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology's Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved May 9, 2016.

[Thorington_et_al._2012-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 250-251. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

[IUCN-2] Ammospermophilus harrisii in the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN 2015-4. Posted by: R. Timm, ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, 2008. Accessed May 16, 2016.

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-3] Ammospermophilus harrisii In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): 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 .