Puna mice
| Puna mice | ||||||||||||
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| Punomys | ||||||||||||
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The Puna mice ( Punomys ) are a species of rodent living in South America from the group of New World mice . They are of two types.
Puna mice have a stocky, vole-like body. They reach a head body length of 13 to 16 centimeters, the tail is very short with 5 to 8 centimeters. The weight is around 80 grams. The fur is long and soft, it is colored brown or gray-brown on the upper side, the belly is white or light gray. The claws are very short.
These animals are native to southeastern Peru . They inhabit the Puna region in the Andes , where they occur at altitudes of 4450 to 5200 meters. This makes them the only mammals that live exclusively at such altitudes.
Puna mice are diurnal, they often stay in crevices or other shelters. They are nourished by the ragwort Senecio adenophylloides and the herb Werneria digitata . Little is known about reproduction, with births occurring in the warm months of November to April.
Puna mice are common and are not endangered species.
A distinction is made between two types, Punomys lemminus and Punomys kofordi, which was only described in 1995 .
The systematic relationships to other New World mice are unclear, which is why these animals are listed as incertae sedis within the Sigmodontinae .
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 .