Balkan snow vole

The Martino- snow vole ( Dinaromys Bogdanovi ) is a widely used exclusively in the mountains of the Balkan vole. She lives on the territories of states of Croatia, Bosnia - Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia. The fact that the species was once more widespread, evident in the fossil record from the Pleistocene of Italy, Hungary and Greece. Although it is geographically found in a very restricted area of ​​distribution, it is in some places very often. For example, it is in Montenegro, the most common and individual- largest mammal ever.

The body length is 10 to 15 cm, added 8 to 11 cm tail. The coat is gray-brown on the upper side and lower side light gray. Martino Snow mice are found at altitudes 1300-2200 m. They are nocturnal, during the day they hide under rocks. The food are grasses. For winter food supplies are created.

Systematic position

Within the voles the nature of the relationship is traditionally the Rötelmäuse and thus assigned to the tribe of Clethrionomyini. This, however, is not without controversy. On the contrary, further studies indicate that the Martino- snow vole is more closely related at all no living representatives of the voles. The Russian zoologist Igor Zagorodnyuk it belongs to the tribe of Pliomyini, which is otherwise extinct today and spread during the Pliocene and Pleistocene in Eurasia. It is therefore, the last living representative of a to the last Ice Age species-rich taxon represented. Is sometimes for the Martino- snow vole also the generic name Dolomys been widespread. This generic name is but now only with respect to some of their extinct relatives.