Siberian zokor
The Siberian Blindmull ( Myospalax myospalax ) belongs to the subfamily of Blindmulle and is a mainly underground living rodent species in Central Asia.
Features
It reaches a head-body length of 16 to 27 centimeters, has a tail length from three to seven inches and a weight of 150 to 500 grams. His fur is gray, with a lighter underside and top.
Like other Blindmulle is adapted to life under the ground of the Siberian Blindmull. It has small eyes that are hidden almost entirely in the fur, and can see bad. Its body is cylindrical, has short limbs and no external ears. From his front legs, he has developed strong grave claws, with which he digs passages under the earth.
Dissemination
The Siberian Blindmull lives in Central Asia in the east of Kazakhstan and in the south of Western Siberia.
When he mainly inhabited steppe habitats with scrub vegetation, rare forests, meadows or agricultural land. The distribution is dependent on soft meadow soils, the dry steppe and stony surfaces are avoided. In mountainous regions, the species occurs height to 2,750 meters.
Way of life
The Siberian Blindmull lives mainly underground and only comes to the surface for a short food searching or when the boys swarm from the parental construction. He is mainly active at dawn in the evening and in the morning. A hibernation does not occur.
The buildings that can accept a total length of up to 150 meters, consist of several levels, with the upper gears with a diameter of 8-13 cm 5 to 27 centimeters below the surface and mainly serve to search for food. The lower level from 40 to 110 cm depth is mainly composed of chambers and short courses. Here, storage chambers, toilet compartments and the actual nest found in a depth of 15-30 centimeters.
Nutrition
The Siberian Blindmull feeds on tubers, bulbs and cereals and of green plant parts of many plants. He pulls all the cornstalks under the earth, and overlays the grains in an underground storage chamber. The winter stock comprises up to eight kilograms roots, tubers and other plant parts.
Reproduction
The mating season of animals ranging from the September and October to March or April. Once a year, brings a Blindmull females between one and ten, usually three to five pups.
Threat and protection
The species is " not endangered " by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) due to the large distribution area and population size estimated ( Least concern ). Here, however, a decline of habitat and population numbers in parts of the range is represented, so he is assessed in some areas of Kazakhstan and Siberia as endangered.