Caucasus ground squirrel
| Caucasus ground squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Caucasus ground squirrel ( Spermophilus musicus ) |
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| Spermophilus musicus | ||||||||||||
| ( Ménétries , 1828) |
The Caucasus ground squirrel ( Spermophilus musicus ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of the ground squirrel ( Spermophilus ). It is endemic to the northern Caucasus .
features
The yellow ground squirrel reaches a head-trunk length of about 20.5 to 24 centimeters. The tail is about 3.4 to 5.0 centimeters long and is thus, as with all ground squirrels, significantly shorter than the rest of the body. The back color is brown-gray with small, indistinct rust-red-gray spots. The sides are light brown-gray with a yellow wash and the head is a little darker with straw-yellow to tan-brown cheeks and straw-yellow dark circles. The ventral side is whitish gray to straw yellow. The upper side of the tail is also gray-brown in color, the underside is lighter and sometimes reddish. It has a black or brown tip of the tail.
| 1 | · | 0 | · | 2 | · | 3 | = 22 |
| 1 | · | 0 | · | 1 | · | 3 |
The type, like all species of the genus in the upper jaw half per one to a incisor tooth formed incisor (incisor) to which a tooth gap ( diastema follows). This is followed by two premolars and three molars . In contrast, the animals have only one premolar in the lower jaw. In total, the animals have a set of 22 teeth.
distribution
The Caucasus ground squirrel is endemic to the northern Caucasus in the northern foothills of the great Caucasian massif (Prielbrusje). It occurs directly north of the border between Georgia and Russia on Russian territory, in the area of the upper reaches of the Kuban , Malka and Tschegem rivers . The entire distribution area covers an area of about 300,000 ha.
Way of life
The Caucasus ground squirrel is a diurnal ground squirrel. It lives mainly in dry mountain meadows and pastures, grass steppes and grain fields, and also on steep slopes with typical dry vegetation. It feeds mainly on parts of plants, especially plant shoots and buds, flowers, seeds and leaves, and only very rarely on insects. The animals live in colonies of different sizes. A total of 234 separate colonies were identified in 1980 censuses throughout the range, which together cover an area of 85,000 ha. Most of these colonies, 126, cover an area of 10 to 100 hectares, while another 57 colonies cover 100 to 1000 hectares each. Very small colonies with less than 10 hectares or very large colonies with more than 1000 hectares were less common. The construction is simple and consists of a corridor and a nest chamber, which is usually not more than half a meter below the ground. It is usually created under stones or bushes. More complex burrows with brood chambers at depths of up to 1.20 meters are used for wintering or for rearing the offspring.
The animals spend the winter like other ground squirrels in a long hibernation , which begins in August or September, and in the case of young animals also from the end of September to October. Because of the necessary fat reserves, fertile dams begin their hibernation later than adult males and young females. The wake-up times depend on the temperature and the altitude at which the animals live; in higher regions above 2500 meters, hibernation extends into May, while at heights of 1200 to 1400 meters it ends in March. The breeding season begins in spring directly after wintering and after a gestation period of 22 days, the dams give birth to a litter of two to four young.
Around 40% of the animals die each year in hibernation. Potential predators include foxes, domestic dogs, martens and birds of prey. Just like the yellow ground squirrel ( Spermophilus fulvus ) and the small ground squill ( Spermophilus pygmaeus ), the Caucasus ground squirrel is one of the potential vectors of the "sylvatic (bubonic) plague" which is spread among rodents and caused by the yersinia pestis .
Systematics
The Caucasus ground squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the ground squirrel ( Spermophilus ), which currently consists of 15 species following a revision of the genus. The first scientific description comes from the French zoologist Édouard Ménétries from 1832. He described the species on the basis of individuals from the Caucasus.
Apart from the nominate form, no further subspecies are distinguished within the species . Due to the structure of the chromosomes as well as molecular biological and genetic characteristics, it is discussed whether the Caucasus ground squirrel is con- specific with the small squirrel ( Spermophilus pygmaeus ) and should therefore be considered as a subspecies Spermophilus pygmaeus musicus of the same. This has already been implemented for individual authors.
Status, threat and protection
The Caucasus ground squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of warning list and thus as near threatened. This is justified by the small distribution area and the limited habitats in the Caucasus. The ground squirrel occurs locally within the area and the habitats are not very fragmented, the populations are described as largely stable.
The animals are hunted within the area for meat and fur, but this is not classified as endangering the population. Regionally, they are also classified as a pest if they live in grain fields. The transformation of alpine mountain meadows into pastureland is considered to be the main source of danger, as well as the drying out of water reserves and periods of drought.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 307-308. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ^ Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Spermophilus. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 193.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Spermophilus musicus in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species 2015.1. Posted by: K. Tsytsulina, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ A b Kristofer M. Helgen, F. Russell Cole, Lauren E. Helgen, Don E. Wilson: Generic Revision in the holarctic ground squirrels genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (2), 2009; Pp. 270-305. doi : 10.1644 / 07-MAMM-A-309.1
- ↑ a b Spermophilus musicus 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 .
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 307-308. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Spermophilus musicus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.1. Posted by: K. Tsytsulina, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2015.