Roberts Snow Mouse
| Roberts Snow Mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chionomys roberti | ||||||||||||
| ( Thomas , 1906) |
Robert's snow mouse ( Chionomys roberti ) is a rodent in the burrower family that is found in the western Caucasus .
The German name and the epithet in the scientific name refer to Alphonse Robert, a French animal collector who participated in several zoological expeditions.
features
With a head-trunk length of 125 to 156 mm, a tail length of 80 to 108 mm and a weight of 40 to 78 g, the species is the largest representative of the genus snow mice . Further deviations from other snow mice are a longer tail in relation to their body size, a shorter and harsher coat and a darker coat color. With slight variations, the top is dark brown to gray-brown and the bottom is smoky gray. The tail is black on top and gray on the underside. It has a 4 to 5 mm long tassel, which can be lighter. Young specimens are darker in appearance. There are eight teats in females .
distribution
The distribution area is mainly in the western Caucasus in Russia , Georgia and Azerbaijan . It extends further to the Pontic Mountains in northeast Turkey . Robert's snow mouse lives in the lowlands and in mountains up to 3200 meters altitude. It is mostly found in areas between 1000 and 1500 meters altitude. Moss-covered banks of streams and rivers with scattered bushes are preferred as habitat . These are mostly in forests.
Way of life
Although the animals live near the water, they avoid contact with the water. They are more likely to climb and jump over stones that are in the water. In order to get to their food, which consists mainly of ferns , black elder ( Sambucus nigra ) and rhododendrons , they climb in the half-height vegetation up to about 4 meters above the ground. Robert's snow mouse creates food depots under stones. In high areas of the mountains, reproduction takes place between May and August and in lower areas until October. During this time a female has 2 to 3 litters with usually 2 to 5 offspring per litter. Occasionally a litter has 7 cubs.
threat
In some areas the stock can be negatively influenced by quarries or river regulations. There is no serious threat to the entire population. In addition, there are several protection zones in the distribution area. Robert's snow mouse is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Chionomys roberti ).
- ↑ Beolens, Watkins & Grayson: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals . JHU Press, 2009, p. 343 ( Robert ).
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 7 - Rodents II . Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 319 (English).
- ↑ a b Chionomys roberti in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Krystufek, B., Bukhnikashvili, A. Sozen, M. & Isfendiyaroglu, S., 2016. Accessed May 13, 2020th