Heteromyidae

Kangaroo rat of the genus Dipodomys

• Heteromyinae
• Perognathinae
• Dipodomyinae

The pocket mice ( Heteromyidae ) are a family of North and Central American rodents.

Features

Named pocket mice are after the big fur bags, which are provided for storage of food. These devices are located on the outside of the cheeks pages and can be put on for cleaning the outside. In appearance, the genera in part very different from each other: While most mice as typical look, the kangaroo mice and kangaroo rats, the hind legs to leap powerful tools are in two genera, transformed. The body length of the pocket mice between 6 and 18 cm, added a 5 to 21 cm long tail.

Dissemination

The distribution ranges from southern Canada through the United States and Central America to Colombia and Ecuador. Here live in Mexico by far the most species. As habitat serve a wide variety of habitats from desert to tropical rain forest.

Way of life

Pocket mice dig sprawling underground burrows. At night they are active outdoors, and during the day they retreat into the tunnel systems. Food are seeds and other plant parts, by the way insects and worms. Often the food is stored in the external cheek pouches and taken to the building where it is stored in special storage chambers. In cold or rainy weather pocket mice remain in their burrows and eat the stored supplies.

System

Although they have little outward similarities, pocket mice with the mole -like pocket gophers are related closely. In addition to the external cheek pouches they have in common with these anatomical details of the skull and dentition. Sometimes both are united in a common family of pocket rodents.

We distinguish six genera. Hafner & Hafner grouped these in 1983 in three subfamilies:

• Subfamily Heteromyinae Forest - sting pocket mice ( Heteromys )
• Sting pocket mice ( Liomys )

• Silk pocket mice ( Perognathus )
• Wire haired pocket mice ( Chaetodipus )

• Kangaroo mice ( Microdipodops )
• Kangaroo rats ( Dipodomys )