Southern moor lemming
| Southern moor lemming | ||||||||||||
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Southern moor lemming ( Synaptomys cooperi ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Synaptomys cooperi | ||||||||||||
| Baird , 1858 |
The southern moor lemming ( Synaptomys cooperi ), also southern lemming mouse , is one of the two species of the moor lemmings ( Synaptomys ) and lives in eastern North America. The distribution area extends from southeastern Canada to western Minnesota , south to the southwest of Kansas and east to the northeast of North Carolina .
features
The head-trunk length is 11 to 14 cm, plus a 1.5 to 2.7 cm long tail. The weight ranges from 14 to 42 grams. The back is light to dark brown, the belly silver-gray. The animals have six teats in contrast to their closest relatives, the northern moor lemmings ( Synaptomys borealis ), whose representatives have eight teats. They have wide orange front teeth .
Way of life
Southern moor lemmings are mostly active at night and do not hibernate . They live mainly in bogs overgrown with peat moss , but also on grassland and in Canada in forests. The main food is sweet grass , sour grass , moss , fruits, mushrooms, as well as tree bark , roots and shoots. Invertebrates such as snails are also occasionally consumed. In nature, the animals have a lifespan of seven to eight months. In captivity, one female lived to be two years and five months old.
Reproduction
The mating season is spread over the whole year if there is enough food available. Most offspring are born in the wild from April to September. After a gestation period of 23 to 26 days, the female throws one to eight, on average three young. There are two to three litters per year, in captivity up to six litters have been observed in 22 weeks. The newborns each weigh around 3.7 grams. After about a week the fur and incisors are well developed, after 10 to 11 days they open the eyes. The young are suckled for three weeks. The males are able to reproduce at the age of five weeks.
Web links
- Synaptomys cooperi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: Linzey, AV & NatureServe (Hammerson, G.), 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- Fahey, B. (1999): Synaptomys cooperi, Animal Diversity Web (English, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, accessed June 21, 2008)