Shaw racing rat
| Shaw racing rat | ||||||||||||
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Shaw racing rat ( Meriones shawi ), drawing by Joseph Smit |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Meriones shawi | ||||||||||||
| ( Duvernoy , 1842) |
The Shaw racing rat ( Meriones shawi ) is a rodent in the genus of racing rats that is found in northern Africa .
features
The species reaches a head body length of 115 to 200 mm, a tail length of 112 to 185 mm and a weight of 45 to 225 g. It has hind feet 30 to 40 mm long and ears 14 to 24 mm long. The clearly largest specimens belong to the subspecies Moroccan racing rat ( Meriones shawi grandis ), which is often listed as a species. The fur on the upper side consists of hair that is gray in the area close to the body, while the other half is colored ocher to light brown. There is also some black hair. The sides are generally lighter and the border to the white underside is clearly visible as an orange line. Short, light hairs appear scattered on the dark ears. The Shaw racing rat usually has a yellowish throat and white hind feet, the underside of which is slightly hairy. The tail is characterized by sandy brown fur and a black tassel in the rear third.
The species has gray spots in front of and behind the eyes and a gland on the belly that is larger in males.
Compared to the Libyan racing rat ( Meriones libycus ), the fur is lighter and the tail tassel is smaller.
distribution
The distribution area stretches along the African Mediterranean coast from Morocco to Egypt . The Shaw racing rat lives mainly in steppes and semi-deserts. She often visits arable land and avoids rocky regions.
Way of life
This rodent forms larger colonies that dig complex underground burrows that are occasionally interconnected. The burrows are mostly in the root area of bushes and trees, such as Ziziphus lotus (buckthorn family) or opuntia . Shaw racing rats communicate by making various sounds or by drumming their feet on the ground.
Depending on the seasonal and local supply, the food consists of various green plants, seeds and fruits, which are complemented with invertebrates in summer. The Shaw racing rat eats z. B. sorghum , feather grass , snail clover , marigolds , salt herbs and milkweed . Grains and seeds are accumulated in the burrow as a supply.
Reproduction can occur all year round, with most births occurring during periods of rain but no extreme weather conditions. The population of the species increases noticeably. After a gestation period of 20 to 30 days, 3 to 8 young animals (usually 5 or 6) are born and weigh 3.5 to 6 g. They are suckled by the mother for about three weeks. As long as the animals do not fall prey to foxes or owls , they can reach an age of 5 or 6 years.
status
No significant dangers are known to the Shaw racing rat. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN .
supporting documents
- ↑ Meriones (Pallasiomys) shawi . In: 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 .
- ↑ a b c d e f E. Fichet-Calvet: Meriones shawi In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 338-339; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
- ↑ a b c d e Francis Gilbert Shaw's jird ( Meriones shawi ) ( Memento of the original from January 16, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . ARKive - Images of Life on Earth, accessed January 15, 2018.
- ↑ a b c Meriones shawi in the IUCN 2017-3 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Granjon, L., 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
