Onychomys leucogaster
Encyclopedia
The Northern Grasshopper Mouse, or Killer Mouse (Onychomys leucogaster), is a North American
carnivorous rodent
originating from the dry areas of the continent.
, but primarily in dry areas. Their body size is relatively the size of any other rodent
or mouse; on average they are 164 millimetres (6.5 in) long and approximately 35 gram (0.0771617917647072 lb). The tail is most often less than 30% of the total body length, whereas other mice tend to have longer tails adding to long body lengths. The grasshopper mouse is a reddish-black/grey color with white hair on the belly. Unlike most rodents, this one has a carnivorous diet consisting of mainly small insects, other mice, and even snakes. This rodent is also nocturnal, unlike most of its kind. Throughout the night the grasshopper mouse makes high-pitched noises to claim its territory
.
, possibly due to their preference for disturbed areas, suitable habitat in the form of burrows, or food supply. The Northern Grasshopper Mouse lives in burrows underground, by either digging their own or inhabiting burrows that have been disowned. These mice have a system of multiple burrows, with each burrow serving a different function. The nest burrow is the primary area of activity during the day; since they are nocturnal they do not need to be in a burrow during the night. To keep moisture in during they day, they close up the opening. A retreat burrow serves for quick escape from predators. Its design is about ten inches into the ground at a 45-degree angle. The cache burrow is used for storing seeds. The signpost burrows are small and filled with glandular secretions that mark the boundaries of their territory. All of these burrows are found within a large area of territory.
species; baby mice are naked with closed eyes when they are born, and approximately three grams. Both sexes reach their sexual maturity at three months, however the life span of a typical mouse living in the wild is only a few weeks to a few months.
pathogen
Bartonella and Ying et al. 2007 showed that they can acquire different strains of Bartonella from multiple rodent species.
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
carnivorous rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
originating from the dry areas of the continent.
Background Information.
The Northern Grasshopper Mouse is found in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, but primarily in dry areas. Their body size is relatively the size of any other rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
or mouse; on average they are 164 millimetres (6.5 in) long and approximately 35 gram (0.0771617917647072 lb). The tail is most often less than 30% of the total body length, whereas other mice tend to have longer tails adding to long body lengths. The grasshopper mouse is a reddish-black/grey color with white hair on the belly. Unlike most rodents, this one has a carnivorous diet consisting of mainly small insects, other mice, and even snakes. This rodent is also nocturnal, unlike most of its kind. Throughout the night the grasshopper mouse makes high-pitched noises to claim its territory
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
.
Habitat
The Grasshopper Mouse can be found in prairies with low grass, dry areas, and also pasture lands of the central and southwestern parts of the United States. Onychomys leucogaster have been known to associate positively with black-tailed prairie dogsBlack-tailed Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog , is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen aboveground in...
, possibly due to their preference for disturbed areas, suitable habitat in the form of burrows, or food supply. The Northern Grasshopper Mouse lives in burrows underground, by either digging their own or inhabiting burrows that have been disowned. These mice have a system of multiple burrows, with each burrow serving a different function. The nest burrow is the primary area of activity during the day; since they are nocturnal they do not need to be in a burrow during the night. To keep moisture in during they day, they close up the opening. A retreat burrow serves for quick escape from predators. Its design is about ten inches into the ground at a 45-degree angle. The cache burrow is used for storing seeds. The signpost burrows are small and filled with glandular secretions that mark the boundaries of their territory. All of these burrows are found within a large area of territory.
Reproduction
The Northern Grasshopper mouse has about two or three litters a year consisting of anywhere between two and seven young, with the average being four. They have a gestation of 32–47 days, and the young are born in either late fall or early winter, between September and February. The male gathers and provides food for the female while she is pregnant and taking of her young. The Northern Grasshopper Mouse is an altricialAltricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
species; baby mice are naked with closed eyes when they are born, and approximately three grams. Both sexes reach their sexual maturity at three months, however the life span of a typical mouse living in the wild is only a few weeks to a few months.
Diseases
Susceptibility studies on Grasshopper mice from areas with plague and from those areas that have been historically free of plague by Thomas et al. (1988) showed that the animals from areas with a history of plague were more resistant to the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis than the animals from a historically plague free area and hence they were considered to be a potential alternate host for plague. Grasshopper mice have also been shown to harbor 57 species of fleas, many of which are vectors of plague. Given the abundance and diversity of fleas on the grasshopper mouse and their use of prairie dog burrows and interaction with other rodent species, they are considered to be important for the maintenance and transmission of plague in the prairie dog ecosystem . They are also found frequently infected with another hemotropic intracellularIntracellular
Not to be confused with intercellular, meaning "between cells".In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word intracellular means "inside the cell".It is used in contrast to extracellular...
pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
Bartonella and Ying et al. 2007 showed that they can acquire different strains of Bartonella from multiple rodent species.