Spiny pocket mouse

Spiny pocket mouse
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Chaetodipus
Species: C. spinatus
Binomial name
Chaetodipus spinatus
(Merriam, 1889)

The spiny pocket mouse (Chaetodipus spinatus) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae and order Rodentia. Spiny Pocket Mouse have two genera, Heteromys and Liomys.[2] It is found in Baja California in Mexico and in Arizona, California and Nevada in the United States.[1]

Description

The Spiny Pocket Mouse has long hairs. It has spines on its back that are more flexible.[3] The existence of the spines differentiates whether it’s Chaetodipus Spinatus from pocket mice in other genera.[4] Their ears are small and round.[5] They have long tails that are 126% of the length of their head and body.[6] Their coat colors vary among islands but are generally brown on the tops of their bodies and tan on their sides.[7] A Spiny Pocket Mouse weighs about 13-18 g. Their length ranges anywhere from 164 to 225 mm.[8]

Range and Habitat

Spiny Pocket Mouse is found in Southern Nevada, and in the islands of the Gulf of California at elevations up to 900m (2952.76 ft).[9] They also range from southeast California to the south by the cape of Baja California Peninsula (Mexico) where they are native. Because of its wide range in distribution, the Spiny Pocket Mouse population has little concern of extinction.[10]

Diet

The Spiny Pocket Mouse’s diet is impacted by the habitat it lives in. Their diet mainly consists of seeds, desert shrubs, and grasses.[11] At times of rainfall, they look for green vegetation. The Spiny Pocket Mouse has to look for a water source in its food because finding a water source in their habitat is uncommon.[12]

Behavior

The Spiny Pocket Mouse is nocturnal. This characteristic allows the Spiny Pocket Mouse to live in rough, rocky desert landscapes by disappearing during the hot days.[13] Spiny Pocket Mouse sleeps and breeds their young in underground burrows.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Linzey, A. V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S. T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. (2008). Chaetodipus spinatus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  2. ↑ Robert P. Anderson , Marcelo Weksler , Duke S. Rogers. "PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES OF SPINY POCKET MICE (HETEROMYIDAE: HETEROMYINAE) BASED ON ALLOZYMIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA", American Society of Mammalogists, 2006. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Merriam, C.H. "North American pocket mice", North American Fauna, 1889. Retrieved on 21 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Merriam, C.H. "North American pocket mice", North American Fauna, 1889. Retrieved on 21 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Lackey, James Alden. " Chaetodipus Spinatus ", The American Society of Mammalogists, 6 November 1991. Retrieved on 21 April 2014 .
  6. ↑ Lackey, James Alden. " Chaetodipus Spinatus ", The American Society of Mammalogists, 6 November 1991. Retrieved on 21 April 2014 .
  7. ↑ Lackey, James Alden. " Chaetodipus Spinatus ", The American Society of Mammalogists, 6 November 1991. Retrieved on 21 April 2014 .
  8. ↑ Merriam, C.H. "North American pocket mice", North American Fauna, 1889. Retrieved on 21 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. " Chaetodipus spinatus ", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. " Chaetodipus spinatus ", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. " Chaetodipus spinatus ", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. " Chaetodipus spinatus ", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. " Chaetodipus spinatus ", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Merriam, C.H. "North American pocket mice", North American Fauna, 1889. Retrieved on 21 April 2014.