Mole mice
| Mole mice | ||||||||||||
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| Juscelinomys | ||||||||||||
| Moojen , 1965 |
The mole mice ( Juscelinomys ) are a species of rodent living in South America from the group of New World mice with three species. The genus is in honor of Juscelino Kubitschek , as the first specimens were found in the city of Brasília, which he founded .
With their long claws on their front paws, these animals are probably adapted to a burrowing way of life. Their fur is reddish-brown or brownish in color, the tail is relatively thick and hairy. The skull is massive, the muzzle short.
These rodents live in central Brazil and eastern Bolivia . Their habitat is mainly tree-lined savannahs. They inhabit underground nests that are equipped with grass and feed on plants and insects.
There are three living species:
- Juscelinomys candango was discovered in the Parco Zoobotanico in the city of Brasília and isbelieved toinhabit central Brazil.
- Juscelinomys guaporensis is only known from one specimen that was found in the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in eastern Bolivia and first described in1999. It is the smallest of the three types.
- Juscelinomys huanchacae is also only known from one specimen from the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. The species is the largest of the three.
Another species, Juscelinomys talpinus , is only known from fossil remains from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais . It is conceivable that the species is still alive, just not yet discovered.
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 .
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .