Plains harvest mouse
| Plains harvest mouse | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Reithrodontomys |
| Species: | R. montanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Reithrodontomys montanus (Baird, 1855) | |
The plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northern Mexico and the central United States.[1]
Description
Dorsal part of plain harvest mice is grey with a darker grey middorsal stipe, and ventral part is whitish.[2] Its tail is less and shorter haired with color of mid-dorsal stripe.[2] Body length of plain harvest mice is 54 mm to 146 mm total, and the tail is 20 mm to 69 mm.[2] Body mass of female plain harvest mice is slightly larger than male as 6.5 g to 10.8 g for male, and 7.5 g to 13.5 g for female.[3] Its hair length is different by season (11 mm-12 mm in winter, and 6 mm-7 mm in summer).[3]
Reproduction & Growth
R.montanus is able to breed first young at age of 85 days.[2] Gestation period is about 21 days, and term between next gestations is 21 to 27 days.[2] Major period of Gestation for R.montanus lives in colder region (Central United States) is during June to August while R. montanus in warmer region (Central America) have pregnant every month of the year.[2] Lactation period of the female is every month but August to October.[4]
New born plain harvest mice is about size of 1 g.[2] It is born naked and blind. Its hair grows in 6 days, opens eye in 8 days, and weaning in 14 days.[2] Being size of adult takes 5 weeks. When it is juvenile, the fur is plain, sparsed and curled like cotton.[2] When it became sub adult, hair with sheen, but less dense than adult.[2]
Ecology
Since, food sources of plains harvest mouse are mainly invertebrates and seeds,[5] the mouse can be found in grassy covered fields or grazed prairie gird.[6] Their nest is globular and dimension of 10 cm to 11 cm. It is compacted with grasses and has one opening.[2] Sex ration in their habitat is almost 1:1.[5]
Their main predator is still not figured, but most of carnivorous mammals, and some reptiles, amphibians are.[2]
References
- 1 2 Linzey, A.V., Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T., Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. (2008). "Reithrodontomys montanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Wilkins, Kenneth T. (1986). Mammalian Species. Colorado: The American Society of Mammalogists. pp. 1–5.
- 1 2 Kaufman, Donald W.; Kaufman, Glennis A. (2015). Plain Harvest Mice in North- Central Kansas: Abundance, Habitat Association and Individual Attributes. Kansas: Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. pp. 75–89.
- ↑ Goertz, John W. Biological Siences. Ruston, Louisiana: Louisiana Polytechnie Institute. p. 123.
- 1 2 Clark, Jay E.; Hellgren, Eric C.; Jorgensen, Eric E.; Leslie Jr., David M. (2005). The American Midland Naturalists. Nortre Dame: University of Notre Dame. pp. 240–252.
- ↑ Kaufman, Glennis A.; Kaufman, Donald W. (2014). Plain Harvest Mice in Tallgrass Prairie: Abundance, Habitat Association and Individual Attributes. Kansas: Kansas Academy of Science. pp. 167–180.
- Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.