Narrow-foot pouch mice
Narrow-foot pouch mice | ||||||||||||
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Thick-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Sminthopsis | ||||||||||||
Thomas , 1887 |
The narrow-footed bag mice ( Sminthopsis ), also known by their English name Dunnarts , are a genus of mouse-like marsupials from the family of the predator (Dasyuridae). The 20 or so species of this genus live in Australia and New Guinea .
description
Narrow-foot pouch mice have external similarities to mice to which they are not related. Their soft, dense fur is grayish on the upper side and white on the underside, some species have a black vertical stripe on their face. The muzzle is elongated, the ears are rather pointed. The tail, which is about as long as the body in most species, is evenly hairy. Some species, especially those living in dry habitats, use it as a fat store in times of excess food, and these deposits can make it carrot-shaped. The feet are slim, often missing the balls of the feet, which are typical of the broad-footed pouch mice . The head body length of the narrow-footed bag rats is around 7 to 12 centimeters and the weight is 10 to 30 grams.
Way of life
These animals inhabit a wide variety of habitats including forests, savannas, and deserts. They live mainly on the ground, but can climb if necessary. During the day they sleep in crevices, caves in the ground, self-dug burrows or leaf nests in order to go foraging at night. They inhabit fixed territories, but do not show any pronounced territorial behavior, the territories often seem to overlap over a large area. Sometimes several animals join together to form short-lived groups without fixed social structures.
food
Narrow-foot pouch mice are carnivores that feed primarily on insects, but they also eat small vertebrates such as lizards and mice.
Reproduction
In contrast to many other pouch mice , the females of these animals have a well-developed pouch that usually contains eight to ten teats. After about 11 to 16 days of gestation, an average of seven to eight young animals are born. These spend the first 40 days of life in the mother's pouch, after another 20 days in the nest they are independent. They reach sexual maturity after four to five months. Life expectancy is unlikely to exceed eighteen months for very few animals.
threat
The main threat to the narrow-footed bag mice is the destruction of their habitat and the persecution by introduced predators. One species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN and three others are listed as threatened.
Systematics
The genus Sminthopsis was introduced in 1887 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas . It is probably not monophyletic , but consists of three genetically clearly distinguishable clades, the Macroura group, which consists of five species and is possibly the sister group of the Ningauis ( Ningaui ), the Murina group, which consists of 13 species and the sister group of one The clade of the Macroura group with the genus Ningaui is, and the long-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse ( Sminthopsis longicaudata ), which is the sister species of the jumping bag mouse ( Antechinomys laniger ).
- Macroura group
- The cockatoo-narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis bindi ) is native to the northern Northern Territory .
- The thick-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse ( Sminthopsis crassicaudata ) is one of the best-researched species and lives in large parts of southern Australia. It is the type species of the genus Sminthopsis .
- The Douglas narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis douglasi ) from the Cape York Peninsula was known for only four specimens for a long time before a small group was discovered. The species is considered threatened.
- The striped-faced narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis macroura ) lives in large parts of the interior of Australia and is marked by a black facial stripe .
- The red-cheeked narrow-footed bag-mouse ( Sminthopsis virginiae ) lives in southern New Guinea and all of northern Australia.
- Murina group
- The kangaroo island cerebral pouch ( Sminthopsis aitkeni ) is endemic to the kangaroo island . Due to the destruction of its habitat, the species is considered threatened.
- Archer's narrow-footed bag-mouse ( Sminthopsis archeri ) lives in southern New Guinea and the Cape York Peninsula .
- Butler's narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis butleri ) lives in a small area in northeastern Western Australia and is considered endangered.
- The small long-tailed narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis dolichura ) also lives in southern Australia.
- Gilbert's narrow-footed bag-mouse ( Sminthopsis gilberti ) also lives in southwestern Western Australia.
- The white-tailed narrow-foot pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis granulipes ) is also common in southwestern Western Australia.
- The gray-bellied narrow-foot pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis griseoventer ) is native to southern Western Australia.
- The large hair-footed narrow-foot pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis hirtipes ) is only recorded from inner Australia and should be very rare.
- The white-footed narrow-foot bag-mouse ( Sminthopsis leucopus ) is common in the eastern coastal region of Australia. The species is likely to have a fragmented range and is endangered.
- The small pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis murina ) is one of the best-known species and is widespread in the eastern half of Australia.
- The Ooldea-Narrow- Footed Bag-Mouse ( Sminthopsis ooldea ) lives in the southern interior of Australia.
- The dune narrow-footed pouch mouse ( Sminthopsis psammophila ) is likely to live only in a small area in South Australia and is an endangered species.
- The desert narrow-footed bag-mouse ( Sminthopsis youngsoni ) is common in northern Australia.
- Longicaudata group
- The long-tailed narrow-foot bag mouse ( Sminthopsis longicaudata ) is characterized by its long tail, which is twice as long as the body. The species lives in northwestern Western Australia.
See also
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- DE Wilson, DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andrew Baker: Family Dasyuridae (Carnivorous Marsupials). Pages 334-348 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6
- ↑ Michael Westerman, Carey Krajewski, Benjamin P. Kear, Lucy Meehan, Robert W. Meredith, Christopher A. Emerling, Mark S. Springer: Phylogenetic relationships of dasyuromorphian marsupials revisited. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 176, Issue 3, March 2016, pp. 686-701, doi: 10.1111 / zoj.12323