Tuco-tuco

Ctenomys haigi

The comb rats or Tukotukos ( Ctenomys, Ctenomyidae ) are a living in South America genus and family of rodents. There are living underground, grave animals that inhabit their burrows usually solitary. The inner system is controversial, there are approximately 60 species distinguished.

Features

Comb rats remember with their adaptations to a grave lifestyle very similar to the North American pocket mice, with which they are but only distantly related. They reach a body length 15-25 inches, the tail is additionally 6 to 11 inches long. The weight varies between 100 and 700 grams. Their fur is usually thick, depending on the type, it may be gray, brown or almost black in color, the underside is lighter.

The body is cylindrical, the tail is short and barely pubescent as with many subterranean animals. The head is massive, the neck short and muscular. The front legs are slightly shorter than the hind legs, all toes are furnished with long claws, with the front paws are slightly longer. There are comb-like bristles which serve to clean the coat of earth on his hind legs.

The eyes are in relation to other subterranean animals big, they sit high on the head. Thus, the animals need the head stick out only slightly from a hole in the ground in order to be able to look around. The ear cups are very small. The dental formula is as in all guinea pig relatives I1 - C0 - P1 - M3, so they have a total of 20 teeth. The incisors are large and thick and bright orange colored. The arrangement of the cusps on the molars is kidney-shaped, the rearmost molar is reduced.

Distribution and habitat

Comb rats are native to southern South America, their range extends from southern Peru and the central Brazil to Tierra del Fuego. They are found in a number of habitats from the tropics to the sub-Antarctic regions, they are often in grasslands and forests, but also for example in the Altiplano and in the mountains to over 4000 meters above sea level.

Way of life

The Build the comb rats consist of a long, sometimes slightly curved main tunnel, branching from the side aisles, which are either terminate in dead ends or lead to feeding grounds on the surface. The main tunnel can be 14 meters long, it has a diameter of about 5-7 centimeters and runs about 30 centimeters below the surface. Below the main tunnel is a disguised with grass bedchamber, and there are several chambers in which food is stored. The outputs on the surface may be marked with piles of dirt, sometimes the animals close them when they are under construction.

The most grave activity happens during the day, mainly in the early morning and late afternoon. The earth is thereby loosened his forefeet and gescharrt with the hind feet backwards. With the teeth they cut through roots that are in the way.

Most species live solitary, but there are isolated reports of several females who inhabit a common construction. Males shall be regarded as territorial and aggressive.

The term Tukotukos is an onomatopoeic approximation of the sound that emit the males and probably marks the territory. The sound actually like " Tłok - Tłok - Tłok " sounds, it takes 10 to 20 seconds and is faster towards the end.

Nutrition

Comb rats are herbivores that feed on different plant parts, such as roots, tubers, stems, grasses and other things. Some plants such as stems and grasses they pull in from the bottom of the building, while others try their construction of the inputs of reach. However, they rarely leave their burrows completely.

Reproduction

About the reproduction of most species, little is known. Usually, the females carry in from only one litter, rarely two. In many cases, the time of birth falls in the rainy season, when food is abundant. The gestation period is around 100 to 120 days and the litter size from one to seven.

Comb rats and humans

In some places penetrate comb rats in fields and plantations, which is why they are regarded as a pest. Your just subsurface burrows also cause that horses and other animals collapse and thereby break the leg. For these reasons they are sometimes hunted intensively. In some heavily agricultural regions, they are gone, for detailed information on the level of danger often lack the data. The IUCN lists only one species, Ctenomys magellanicus, as endangered.

System

The comb rats are anticipated within the rodents to the guinea pig relatives. Their sister group is the illusion rats, as its subfamily, they are sometimes classified.

The inner system is confusing and in urgent need of revision. The types differ, sometimes significantly in the number of chromosomes, the karyotypes be 2n = 10 to 2n = 70, but are morphologically quite similar. Comb rats are likely to live in relatively small populations that are isolated from other populations through areas with unsuitable soil conditions. This has led to the emergence of a large number of taxa whose systematic classification remains controversial. The following list of 60 species follows Wilson & Reeder (2005):

• Ctenomys argentinus lives ( provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe) in the north-central Argentina.
• Ctenomys australis occurs in the eastern Argentina before ( Buenos Aires Province ).
• Ctenomys azarae is located ( provinces of Córdoba and La Pampa ) in the central Argentina.
• Ctenomys bergi lives only in the southwestern Argentine province of Córdoba.
• Ctenomys boliviensis inhabited the central Bolivia, southwestern Brazil ( Mato Grosso ), Western Paraguay and northern Argentina (Formosa ).
• Ctenomys bonettoi is only from the south east of the Argentine province of Chaco known.
• Ctenomys brasiliensis inhabited the eastern Brazil.
• Ctenomys Budini is located in Jujuy (Argentina ).
• Ctenomys colburni inhabited the western Argentine province of Santa Cruz.
• Ctenomys coludo lives in the province of Catamarca (Argentina ).
• Ctenomys conoveri is located in the Chaco region in south-eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
• Ctenomys coyhaiquensis inhabited the south Chilean province of Aysen.
• Ctenomys dorbignyi occurs only in the Argentine province of Corrientes.
• Ctenomys dorsalis lives in Paraguay west of the Paraguay River.
• Ctenomys Emilianus lives in a small area of ​​sand dunes in the province of Neuquén.
• Ctenomys famosus is located in the Argentine province of La Rioja.
• Ctenomys flamarioni is only found in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and is threatened by urban sprawl.
• Ctenomys Fochi lives in the province of Catamarca (Argentina ).
• Ctenomys fodax inhabited the südargentinische province of Chubut.
• Ctenomys frater lives in southwestern Bolivia at altitudes up to 4300 meters.
• Ctenomys fulvus is native to mountainous regions in northwestern Argentina and northern Chile.
• Ctenomys goodfellowi lives in the Santa Cruz province in Southeast Bolivia.
• Ctenomys haigi occurs in the southern Argentinean provinces of Chubut and Rio Negro.
• Ctenomys locust lives just south of San Juan (Argentina ) Province.
• Ctenomys juris is located in the southeast of the Argentine province of Jujuy.
• Ctenomys knighti inhabited mountainous countries in western Argentina.
• Ctenomys lami lives in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
• Ctenomys latro is located ( provinces of Tucumán and Salta ) in northwestern Argentina.
• Ctenomys leucodon living around Lake Titicaca in eastern Peru and western Bolivia.
• Ctenomys lewisi inhabited southern Bolivia.
• Ctenomys magellanicus lives in the far south of Chile and Argentina including the Tierra del Fuego. This species is endangered according to IUCN.
• Ctenomys maulinus is in Chile ( Maule and Araucania between regions ) and the Argentine province of Neuquén located adjacent.
• Ctenomys mendocinus inhabited the slopes of the Andes in western Argentina.
• Ctenomys minutus lives in eastern Bolivia and southern Brazil.
• Ctenomys occultus comes in northwestern Argentina before ( Tucumán Province and adjacent areas ).
• Ctenomys opimus is located in the Puna region of northwestern Argentina, southwestern Bolivia, southern Peru and northern Chile.
• Ctenomys osvaldoreigi is known only from the Argentine province of Córdoba.
• Ctenomys pearsoni lives in Uruguay.
• Ctenomys perrensi occurs only in the nordostargentinischen province of Corrientes.
• Ctenomys peruanus inhabits the Altiplano in the extreme south of Peru.
• Ctenomys pilarensis is located in eastern Paraguay.
• Ctenomys pontifex lives in western Argentina ( provinces of San Luis and Mendoza).
• Ctenomys porteousi inhabited the ostargentinischen provinces of Buenos Aires and La Pampa.
• Ctenomys pundti is common in the Argentine provinces of Córdoba and San Luis.
• Ctenomys rionegrensis lives in eastern Argentina and Uruguay.
• Ctenomys roigi occurs only in Corrientes ( Argentina).
• Ctenomys saltarius is native to northern Argentina (Salta and Jujuy ).
• Ctenomys scagliai is known only from the province of Tucumán ( northern Argentina ).
• Ctenomys sericeus lives in the southern Argentinean provinces of Santa Cruz, Chubut and Río Negro.
• Ctenomys sociabilis occurs only in the province Meuquén (Argentina ).
• Ctenomys steinbachi lives in the province of Santa Cruz in Bolivia.
• Ctenomys sylvanus is widespread in north-western Argentina ( provinces of Jujuy and Salta ).
• Ctenomys talarum inhabited the coastal region of the Argentine province of Buenos Aires.
• Ctenomys torquatus occurs in Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil.
• Ctenomys tuconax is located only in the Argentine province of Tucumán.
• Ctenomys tucumanus lives in northwestern Argentina.
• Ctenomys tulduco occurs only in the province of San Juan ( Argentina).
• Ctenomys validus inhabited the Argentine province of Mendoza.
• Ctenomys viperinus is located just to the north of the province of Tucumán (Argentina ).
• Ctenomys yolandae lives in the Argentine province of Santa Fe.