Madagascar big foot mice
| Madagascar big foot mice | ||||||||||||
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| Macrotarsomys | ||||||||||||
| Milne-Edwards & Grandidier , 1898 |
The Madagascar large-footed mice ( Macrotarsomys ) are a genus of rodents from the subfamily of Madagascar rats (Nesomyinae). The genus includes three species that live exclusively on Madagascar .
These animals have similarities to the gerbils , but they are not closely related to them. As with these, the hind legs are enlarged and they are residents of dry grasslands or forests. Their fur is brown on the upper side, the underside is whitish. Characteristic are the large ears and the elongated tail, which can be twice as long as the body and ends in a bushy tip.
Madagascar big-foot mice are exclusively nocturnal and move around in search of food, either running or hopping. During the day they retreat to earthworks, the entrance of which is often hidden under a bush or a rock and which can be up to 1.5 meters long. The diet of these animals consists of berries, fruits, roots and stems. Little is known about social behavior and reproduction; they presumably live in pairs.
There are three types:
- Macrotarsomys bastardi is the smaller of the two species, it reaches a head body length of 8 to 10 centimeters, a tail length of 10 to 15 centimeters and a weight of 21 to 38 grams. It lives exclusively on the ground and is common in western Madagascar.
- Macrotarsomys ingens is somewhat larger with a length of 12 centimeters of the head and a tail length of up to 21 centimeters. The species is likely to spend more timelookingfor food in trees than M. bastardi , otherwise hardly anything is known about it. It lives in a small area in northwestern Madagascar and is listed by the IUCN as endangered due to the progressive destruction of its habitat.
- Macrotarsomys petteri was not scientifically described until 2005. It is only known from a living specimen and some semi-fossil remains from southwestern Madagascar. The species is listed by the IUCN with insufficient data ( data deficient ).
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 ( partly on Google books ).
Web links
- Macrotarsomys on the2012 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved November 2, 2012.