Long-tailed ground squirrel
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Long-tailed ground squirrel ( Urocitellus undulatus ) |
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The long-tailed ground squirrel ( Urocitellus undulatus , Syn . : Spermophilus undulatus ) is a species of squirrel from the genus Urocitellus . It occurs in northern Asia in southern Siberia , eastern Kazakhstan , Mongolia and in the north of the People's Republic of China .
features
The long-tailed ground squirrel is a comparatively large type of ground squirrel and has a head-to-trunk length of around 21.0 to 31.5 centimeters and a weight of around 250 to 580 grams. The tail becomes 10 to 14 centimeters long and is thus significantly shorter than the rest of the body, but comparatively long in comparison with other ground squirrels with more than a third of the remaining body length. The hind foot becomes 45 to 50 millimeters long, the ear length is 10 to 11 millimeters. The back color is yellowish-brown to ocher with white and gray spots, partially interspersed with reddish or black-brown markings. The sides of the body are gray to straw yellow or yellow, the ventral side is orange, reddish brown or brown. The tail is mottled gray-black on top and turns white towards the tip. Both the sides of the body and the tail can have white and light yellow washings. The top of the head is darker than the straw-yellow cheeks and the light-colored muzzle. The winter coat is significantly lighter than the summer coat.
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The skull is comparatively large and has a total length of 46 to 56 millimeters. 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. The roots of the upper second and third molars are very strong. The base of the incisors on the intermaxillary bone (premaxillary) is concave, the nasal bones are as wide at the base of the intermaxillary bone as in the upper area.
distribution
The long-tailed ground squirrel occurs in southern Siberia, eastern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and in the north of the People's Republic of China. In China it occurs only in the extreme northwest and northeast in Xinjiang with the Altai , the Sajan Mountains and the Tian Shan in the west and in the province of Heilongjiang in the east. In Russia, the species can be found in the Transbaikal region and in a separate population in Sakha (Yakutia). In Mongolia, the species lives in the mountain regions of the Mongolian Altai south to the Aj Bogd massif , the Changai Mountains , around the Chöwsgöl Nuur and in the Chentii Mountains ; it was also found in the northern areas of the Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve in the documented eastern Gobi .
Way of life
The long-tailed ground squirrel lives mainly in semi-desert and grass steppe areas on the edge of the Gobi desert as well as in alpine meadows, bushes and along streams and rivers. It is diurnal, but the main activity time is in the morning and evening during twilight. He lives socially in colonies of one male and several females with labyrinth-like buildings with several entrances. The entrances have a diameter of 8 to 13 centimeters and are usually surrounded by mounds of earth up to 40 centimeters high within a radius of two meters. The corridors have a length of up to 15 meters and the depth of the corridors and burrows is up to 3 meters. The colony defends an area of 0.16 hectares on average and the males mark their territory with scent marks.
As a herbivorous species, the long-tailed ground squirrel feeds primarily on seeds, sprouts and green vegetation, but rarely also on insects. Communication takes place via high-pitched alarm calls, which, however, are less shrill than those of other ground squirrels. He spends the winter in a hibernation in September (males) or October until March or April and lays before winter a supply of which he transported his cheek pouches in the construction. The males wake up about one to two weeks before the females.
Reproduction occurs once a year in spring. For all sexually mature animals over one year of age, mating takes place immediately after the females have awakened. Females have a gestation period of about 30 days and give birth to three to nine pups. The young animals leave the den for the first time when they are four to five weeks old. More than 90% of all females reproduce more than once. The main predators include cats, foxes, wolves, and birds of prey.
Systematics
The long-tailed ground squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus Urocitellus , which consists of twelve species. The first scientific description comes from Peter Simon Pallas from 1778, who described the species on the basis of individuals from Selenga in Buryatia , Russia. The genus has long been classified as part of the ground squirrel and within the subgenus Urocitellus , but after a comprehensive molecular biological investigation, this is considered as an independent genus together with several other genera. The Arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ), classified as a separate species, was temporarily listed as a subspecies of the long-tailed ground squirrel .
Within the species, six subspecies are distinguished together with the nominate form :
- Urocitellus undulatus undulatus : nominate form; in the western and southwestern Transbaikal region.
- Urocitellus undulatus eversmanni : In the Altai Mountains in the border area of Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and China. The subspecies is relatively small and more strongly colored, sometimes with intense rust-red and orange tones.
- Urocitellus undulatus jacutensis : In northern Siberia as an isolated population. The subspecies is large and pale in color.
- Urocitellus undulatus menzbieri : In the eastern part of the distribution area along the Amur from Russia to northeast China. It is the largest subspecies, it is comparatively pale.
- Urocitellus undulatus stramineus : In the southwest of the distribution area in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. The subspecies is very pale and brightly colored, the belly side is bright orange.
- Urocitellus undulatus transbaikalicus : in the eastern Transbaikal region in Russia. The subspecies is medium to very large, the head has a light cinnamon-sand color.
In Wilson & Reeder 2005, another subspecies U. u. altaica described, U. u. eversmanni , however, is not on the list.
Status, threat and protection
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The long-tailed sandstone is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified with the comparatively large distribution area and the frequent occurrence of the species, but concrete population sizes are not known. There are no known factors that could endanger the survival of this species.
Long-tailed ground squirrels used to be hunted in great numbers for their furs, but their use fell sharply. Between 1958 and 1960, an estimated 418,000 to 551,000 animals were killed annually for the fur industry. In some areas the species is classified as a pest.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Long-Tailed Ground Squirrel. 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 , pp. 195-196.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 364-365 .
- ^ 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 Urocitellus undulatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.1. Posted by: S. Shar, D. Lkhagvasuren, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d Spermophilus undulatus 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 .
- ↑ Matthew D. Herron, Todd A. Castoe, Christopher L. Parkinson: Sciurid phylogeny and the paraphyly of holarctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31, 2004; Pp. 1015-1030. ( Full text ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , PMID 15120398 )
- ↑ 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
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 364-365 .
- Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Alashan Ground Squirrel. 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 , pp. 195-196.
Web links
- Urocitellus undulatus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.1. Posted by: S. Shar, D. Lkhagvasuren, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2015.