White-throated bush rat
| White-throated bush rat | ||||||||||||
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White-throated bush rat ( Neotoma albigula ) |
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| Neotoma albigula | ||||||||||||
| Hartley , 1894 |
The white-throated bush rat ( Neotoma albigula ) is a rodent in the New World mouse subfamily found in western North America.
features
With an average total length of 32.8 cm, including an approximately 15.2 cm long tail, the species is a medium-sized American bush rat. Females, with an average weight of 188 g, are lighter than males, who weigh an average of 224 g. The mean value for the length of the hind feet and ears is 3.4 and 3.0 cm, respectively. As the German name suggests, the species has a fur with completely white hairs on the throat. The top is covered with short, soft fur that is brown with shades of black. The tail is clearly divided into a brown top and a whitish bottom. There are long hairs on the tail, but they do not appear bushy.
Melanistic specimens live in areas with lava fields , which are black except for the white throat patch. Different specimens of these populations may also have white markings on the insides of the legs and in the groin region.
distribution
The white-throated bush rat occurs from the US states of Utah and Colorado to the state of Sinaloa in Mexico . It only reaches the northernmost areas of the Baja California peninsula and can be found on individual islands in the Gulf of California , e.g. B. Isla Tiburon . The species lives in the lowlands and in the mountains up to an altitude of 2,500 meters. The habitat is rocky areas with little vegetation in the mountains, semi-deserts, dry bushes, areas with cacti and open stands of pinyon pines and junipers .
Way of life
This rodent is predominantly nocturnal. Occasionally it is busy during the day in the area of the nest. The structure consists of a network of twigs, leaves and parts of cacti. Like other members of the species, the white-throated bush rat uses various other objects such as bones, charcoal, cartridge cases or crown corks to expand the building. Inside there is a sleeping chamber with a diameter of 15 to 25 cm, which is padded with grass. The species also uses crevices, caves and abandoned buildings as hiding places.
A bush rat nest serves as a hiding place for many other animals. These include, among others, geckos , the zebra-tailed lizard , the Common side spot iguana , tree frogs , shrews , opossums , Streifenskunks other rodents such as Peromyscus and voles and cottontail rabbits and various invertebrates.
The white-throated bush rat prefers opuntia as food, with which it best meets its fluid needs. It also eats green leaves from bushes, grass, juniper berries or palm lilies . With the exception of mating and the rearing of the offspring, each specimen lives for itself. The territories usually overlap, with the area directly at the nest being defended against conspecifics. White-throated bush rats warn each other of predators, such as snakes and the gila-crusty lizard , by drumming their feet on the ground. Other lizards and turtles were ignored in experiments.
In the southern part of the range, reproduction can occur at any time of the year, while in California it occurs between January and July. Depending on the study, the gestation period is around 30 or 37 days. A litter usually consists of twins, who weigh an average of 10.9 g at birth, and can contain up to three offspring. After 17 to 55 days, the young animals start eating solid food. Sexual maturity generally occurs after 300 days, although individual individuals are sexually mature after 80 days. Life expectancy is likely to be higher in males, as females are stressed by giving birth to offspring.
Danger
There are no threats to the entire inventory. Isolated populations on islands are sensitive to change. The IUCN lists the white-throated bush rat as Least Concern .
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, Neotoma albigula ).
- ↑ a b c d e f Macêdo & Mares: Neotoma albigula (PDF) In: Mammalian Species No. 310 . American Society of Mammalogists. Pp. 1-7. June 30, 1988. doi : 10.2307 / 3504165 . Accessed December 30, 2019.
- ↑ a b Neotoma albigula in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Lacher, T. & Álvarez-Castañeda, ST, 2016. Retrieved on December 30 of 2019.