Reithrodontomys

Harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys raviventris )

The harvest mice ( Reithrodontomys ) are a living in America rodent genus of the group of the New world. They comprise about 20 species.

Features

Harvest mice are very similar to the actual European mice ( Mus), with whom they are not closely related. They reach a body length 5-15 centimeters, the tail is 5-11 inches long. The weight is 6 to 20 grams. The coloring of their fur varies at the top of reddish brown to gray to blackish, the sides are lighter and the belly white or light gray. The tail is thin and scantily provided with hair, the ears are large and protrude from the skin.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of harvest mice extends from southern Canada through the United States and Mexico to Colombia and Ecuador. Most species inhabit grass areas lined, but some are also found in dry areas or rainforests.

Way of life

Harvest mice are nocturnal, during the day they rest in spherical, built of grasses and other plant material nests. These have a diameter of 15 to 18 inches and are built in bushes or small trees.

Their diet consists of seeds and Pflanzenschößlingen. You can reach the seeds of grasses, by bending the blades of grass on the ground and then out gnaw. Occasionally they also eat insects.

Reproduction

Except in cold winters reproduction can take place throughout the year. After a 21 - to 24 - day gestation, the female gives birth to one to nine pups. The females can carry several times a year junior to the world.

Harvest mice and men

Harvest mice are generally considered not to be harmful to agriculture. Some species have their range can even propagate through the clearing of the forests and the spread of grasslands, about R. megalotis, which was introduced to the Channel Islands.

In response, three species are considered threatened: R. raviventris that inhabits only salt marshes near San Francisco, R. rodriguezi, which is only known from a small area in Costa Rica, and R. spectabilis, the front on the island of Cozumel is the Mexican coast endemic.

The types

We distinguish between 20 types, which are sometimes divided into two subgenera, Reithrodontomys and Aporodon. This classification is controversial.

• Reithrodontomys brevirostris occurs in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
• Reithrodontomys burti inhabited northwestern Mexico ( Sinaloa and Sonora ).
• Reithrodontomys Chrysopsis lives in central Mexico.
• Reithrodontomys Creper lives in Costa Rica and Panama.
• Reithrodontomys darienensis is native only in eastern Panama and possibly in adjacent regions of Colombia.
• Reithrodontomys fulvescens is from the southern U.S. spread (from Arizona to Mississippi) to Nicaragua.
• Reithrodontomys gracilis comes from Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula before to Costa Rica.
• Reithrodontomys hirsutus inhabited a small area in western Mexico.
• Reithrodontomys humulis lives in the eastern U.S. (from Oklahoma to Florida and Maryland).
• Reithrodontomys megalotis is spread from southwestern Canada through the western United States to southern Mexico.
• Reithrodontomys mexicanus is distributed from Mexico to Ecuador.
• Reithrodontomys microdon inhabited isolated regions in Mexico and Guatemala.
• Reithrodontomys montanus inhabits the Great Plains region in the central United States.
• Reithrodontomys paradoxus lives in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
• Reithrodontomys raviventris is remarkable by its adaptation to the habitat of the salt marshes and can even drink salt water. The species inhabits only a small area in San Francisco and is considered endangered.
• Reithrodontomys rodriguezi is known only from the western Costa Rica. The species is considered endangered.
• Reithrodontomys spectabilis is endemic to the island of Cozumel off the Mexican coast and is considered high risk.
• Reithrodontomys sumichrasti lives in highlands from the central Mexico to Panama.
• Reithrodontomys tenuirostris inhabited southern Mexico and Guatemala.
• Reithrodontomys zacatecae is located in western Mexico.