Beach birch mouse

Beach birch mouse
Systematics
Subclass :	Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Order :	Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination :	Mouse relatives (Myomorpha)
Family :	Sminthidae
Genre :	Birch mice ( Sicista )
Type :	Beach birch mouse
Scientific name
	Sicista strandi
	( Formosow , 1931)

The beach birch mouse ( Sicista strandi ) is a rodent in the genus of birch mice that is found in Eastern Europe. It is considered a sister species of the forest birch mouse ( Sicista betulina ).

features

The species reaches a head body length of 6.6 to 7.7 cm, a tail length of 8.5 to 10.1 cm and a weight of 9.5 to 13.2 g. The hind feet are 1.6 to 1.9 cm long and the length of the ears is 0.9 to 1.4 cm. In specimens from the lowlands, the fur on the upper side has a brown base color with yellowish shades, while individuals in the mountains above are more reddish brown. Individual black hairs are mixed into this basic color and, as with the forest birch mouse, there is a black eel line . The fur on the underside is white, occasionally with yellow or red hues. Furthermore, the tail is clearly divided into a brown top and a white bottom. Differences to the forest birch mouse exist in the chromosome set (2n = 44 instead of 2n = 32) and in the structure of the penis bone .

distribution

This birch mouse occurs in the northern foothills of the Caucasus and in the adjacent lowlands. It reaches the Kursk Oblast in the north, the Volga in the east and probably the Dnepr in the west . The beach birch mouse inhabits forest clearings and mountain meadows up to 2100 meters above sea level as well as steppes and forest steppes in the lowlands.

Way of life

Populations in the lowlands hibernate from October to April , while specimens in the Caucasus rest a little longer. Mating takes place shortly after waking up, which is followed by the birth of a litter with 3 to 5 offspring after pregnancy. Adults are otherwise solitary. The diet consists of berries, seeds and young plant shoots, which are completed with insects .

status

Progressive urbanization can fragment the distribution area in the future and negatively affect the population. The beach birch mouse seems to cope well with steppe fires. It 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, Sicista strandi ).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Sicista Strandi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N., Zagorodnyuk, I. & Sheftel, B., 2016. Retrieved on June 17 of 2019.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Wilson, Lacher Jr. & Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World . 7 - Rodents II. Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 45 (English).

[Wilson-1] 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, Sicista strandi ).

[IUCN-2] Sicista Strandi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N., Zagorodnyuk, I. & Sheftel, B., 2016. Retrieved on June 17 of 2019.

[HMW-3] Wilson, Lacher Jr. & Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World . 7 - Rodents II. Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 45 (English).