Animal A Day!

Gundis are rodents that live in the dry regions of Northern Africa. There are five species total, including today's animal the Common Gundi. Common Gundis have very compact bodies, with short legs, tan fur, and very large eyes. They can grow to be 8in long-- making them roughly the size of a Guinea Pig. These rodents live in colonies that can have over 100 members. The size of the group depends on the specific habitat and how great the food supply is, and they communicate through different chirps and foot stomps. Females give birth to two offspring at a time, who are fully weaned after 4 weeks. They have to grow fast because the food supply is so scarce that the mothers don't produce much milk. Common Gundis feed on whatever plant matter they can find, but because they live in the desert they sometimes have to travel far to find it. These trips can take them more than half a mile from home, which is really far for such a little rodent. Because they don't store food ve...

Mesocricetus raddei The Ciscaucasian Hamster is also known as the Georgian Hamster, as it is only found in the country of Georgia, and in parts of Russia. These Hamsters are not your average pet Hamsters! They can grow to nearly 1ft in length! The individuals that live at higher elevations tend to be larger than those who live down on the plains. Regardless of altitude, these rodents live in burrows that they construct underground. These burrows can be amazingly extensive, and they are where the Hamsters flee to safety, where they hibernate each winter, and where they store food for use in the springtime when they come out of hibernation. Ciscaucasian Hamsters can have massive litters that number up to 20 offspring at a time! Once again, there is a difference between the mountain and the plains populations, as the mountain Hamsters will produce only one or two litters each year, while the plains can have three or more! IUCN Status : Least Concern Location : Georgia, Russi...

Apodemus sylvaticus The Wood Mouse is an incredibly common rodent in Europe. They have a range that extends across the continent, including the British Isles. The can even be found in northern Africa. It should come as no surprise that they are amazingly adaptable, and can be found in most habitats. The most remarkable thing about the Wood Mouse is its breeding season. They are actually "in season" for 3/4 of the entire year! From February until October these mice are constantly reproducing. A female can produce seven litters of up to nine offspring each during that time. Young Mice born early in the season might start breeding themselves before it is even over! It is a good thing that these rodents breed so quickly-- they have very short lifespans, typically no more than 2 years. They also have more predators than I can count. To keep from being some foxes snack, the Mice have tail skin that can rub off if grabbed. They also store their food (mainly seeds) and sleep...

Papagomys armandvillei Living isolated on an island can do funny things to a species. Some animals get smaller, to cope with the lack of resources. However... some actually get much larger (especially creatures that are normally small) because they don't have larger predators to contend with and can thus move into a slightly different ecological niche. The Flores Giant Rat is and example of island gigantism. Th ese monstrous rodents can grow 18in long, which is double the maximum size of a Brown Rat! These Rats, like many of their kind, are very adaptable and can be found living in all types of forests, and at a variety of elevations within the Indoenesian island of Flores. They also have an adaptable diet-- they feed on fruits, leaves, insects, and a wide range of other plants and invertebrates. Interestingly, for a Rat so large they aren't seen very often by scientists. Actually, most of what we know is from collected skeletal remains. The species is cu...

Common Degus In the past we've learned about the Common Degu , a small relative to Chinchillas that is sometimes kept as a pet (by weirdos like me). But the Common Degu isn't the only member of its genus-- there are actually three more lesser-known species. The Bridge's Degu is one of them (are are so little known that I couldn't find a picture!). These rodents live in Argentina and Chile, and unlike their more popular cousins, they are nocturnal. They are named for Thomas Bridges, a naturalist who first identified them and collected specimens in 1844. These animals look similar to Common Degus-- they have brown fur, rounded ears, and long tails with tufts on the end. They are decent tree climbers, and do not dig as much as their more common cousins. Bridge's Degus happen to be listed as Vulnerable . Deforestation has been a major culprit to their population decline, as they need the rocky woodlands in order to survive. IUCN Status :  Vulnerable Locati...

Marmota monax Today is, of course, Groundhog Day. And where I'm at, they did not see their shadow - Spring is coming! (Or so goes the story). The Groundhog goes by many names, including the Woodchuck (yes, they are the same!) and my favorite, the Whistle-pig. They are members of the Squirrel family, and are actually the largest Squirrels within their range. They can be found throughout the northern parts of the North American continent, living in lowland forests and open plains. Though they may not look as agile as their arboreal squirrel cousins, they too can climb trees quite well. They are also great swimmers despite their lumpy appearance. Groundhogs build extensive burrows that they live in year round. During the summer they retreat to these hideaways to sleep and to raise their young. In winter they use them for hibernation, and they are only of the few mammals that enters a real  true hibernation state. In the warm months the G...

Dicrostonyx groenlandicus So I'm stuck at home with a snow day today, so what better animal to talk about than one that turns white in the winter? The Collared Lemmings are members of a genus native to North America. They are the only rodents that change color with the seasons! Collared Lemmings look quite a bit like large Hamsters. They have round bodies, tiny ears, and very short tails. They also possess very strong claws that allow them to dig out burrows in the ground and in the snow. They line these long tunnels with anything soft that they can find, including grasses and muskox hair. Even though the Collared Lemmings are able to change from brown to white to camouflage themselves, they are still easy prey for a number of different species. In fact, most Lemmings don't live longer than a year in the wild, due to predation rates. it should come as no surprise them they they breed frequently, and produce large litters. In one year a female can have 3...

Belomys pearsonii Despite being first described in 1908, not much is known about the Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel, due to their habitat and behavior. These rodents live in central and southern Asia, inhabiting deciduous forests at elevations of between 1500 and  2400m. They also happen to be nocturnal, which makes them difficult to track. Name for the long hairs on their feet (that keep them warm in cold seasons), Hairy-footed Flying Squirrels have a body length of around 9in, and a tail that is only about 5. Their fur is reddish-brown on the top, with lighter undersides. They live in tree hollows. We don't really know how well the Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel is doing out there, since they are so little studied. It is believed that their population is on the decline , due to habitat loss from logging and agricultural use. IUCN Status :  Data Deficient Location :   Asia Size :  Body length around 9in (22cm) Classification :  Phy...

Notomys amplus The last time anyone saw a Short-tailed Hopping Mouse was back in 1896, and everything that we know about this now-extinct desert Mouse comes from two specimens collected over a hundred years ago. Did you know that there are, in fact, Hopping Mice? And no, they are not Marsupials (like many of the convergent evolution critters in Australia), they are Rodents that arrived from Asia around 5 million years ago. The Short-tailed Hopping Mice and four of the other species in the genus went extinct during the 19th century. This is due to the spread of introduced predators like cats and dogs, and increased competition for food. All in all, half the species of Hopping Mice are extinct. We know that the Short-tailed lived in the scrubs and dry grasslands of central Australia, and were the largest of the Hopping Mice. They had the long hind legs, sandy colored fur, and they fed on various seeds. IUCN Status :  Extinct Location :   Australia Size : ...

Palaeocastor sp. Today there are only two species of true Beaver, the North American and the Eurasian. But these large rodents have a long history, with many now-extinct relatives, dating back millions of years. Palaeocastor is one of these ancestors. This 1ft long critter lived in the Oligocene around 25 million years ago in North America . They didn't have the big paddle tail that our modern Beavers do, nor did they spend as much time in the water. Interestingly, the burrows of Palaeocastor were discovered long before the fossils. Unlike modern Beavers, Palaeocastor did not build dens out of sticks and mud. Instead, they constructed strange, corkscrewed burrows... by digging with their teeth! Preserved remains of these burrows have been found, and are called " devil's corkscrews ." It actually took some time for science to figure out what those strange structures were! A fossilized "devil's corkscrew" Status :  Extinct for 25 million year...

Sciurillus pusillus The Neotropical Pygmy Squirrel is an animal that really intrigues me... because I know almost nothing about it. There is actually so little recorded about these rodents that they are listed as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. It is even difficult finding pictures of them! Neotropical Pygmy Squirrels are the smallest of all the South American Squirrels, weighing as little as 40g . (For comparison, the Western Grey Squirrel of North American can weigh ten times that much!) They have a patchy distribution in the lowland rainforests of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and nearby areas. Their small sizes means that we don't see them very often, and only recently have them become subjects of study (but there is still so, so much to learn!) We have learned that they are monotypic for their subfamily, that they have very small littler sizes (no more than 2), and they probably feed on the barks, gums, mosses, and insects and grow/live in the trees....

Cynomys parvidens There are five different species of Prairie Dog, with the Utah being the smallest. They also happen to be one of the most rare, and are listed as Endangered. They have cinnamon colored backs, white tails, and brown spots above and below the eyes. Unsurprisingly, the Utah Prairie Dog is found only within the State of Utah. They, like all Prairie Dogs, are members of the Squirrel family, and they are most closely related to the White-tailed Prairie Dog. The two species may have once been a single species way back when, though they are now separate and live in different ranges (the White-tailed lives further north and east). Utah Prairie Dogs build extensive underground burrows, and their large extended families live together within them. They live in these "towns" year round, and remain in them exclusively in the winter, though they don't take part in a true hibernation process. Utah Prairie Dogs are primarily herbivores, preferrin...

Hystrix africaeaustralis Allow me to introduce you to the largest Porcupine in the world, and the largest Rodent on the African Continent-- the Cape Porcupine. They shiny critters can grow almost 3ft long (not including the tail), and individuals have been found that weigh over 60lbs! Though the name hints at a specific location, the Cape Porcupine can actually be found throughout central and southern Africa. They live at elevations below 2,000m, and can be found in a large range of habitats , though they prefer open, rocky areas. Obviously, Cape Porcupines have quills. Their back and tail is covered with them, and the ones in the tail are  especially hollow. This allows the Porcupine to make a rattling sound in order to scare off predators. If that tactic fails, the Porcupine will charge at its attacker and try and stab them with their quills. Contrary to popular belief, they do not shoot the spines out-- they stab and then dislodge them . Cape Porcupines are rodent...

Ratufa macroura The Grizzled Giant Squirrel is a threatened species that is found in only a few spots of India and Sri Lanka. There are three different subspecies , and as a whole they are the smallest of the Indian Giant Squirrels. Grizzled Giant Squirrels are named for the white flecks of hair that cover their greyish-brown bodies, giving them a grizzled look. They also have very long tails that can constitute over half their total body length, and small round ears with tufts. Though there are Squirrels that live on the ground (I'm looking at you Marmots), this particular species lives just about exclusively in the trees. Their long tails make them great jumpers, and they can leap as far as 6m between trees! Grizzled Giant Squirrels are very territorial, and usually live alone or in pairs. They forage during the daytime, searching for fruits, nuts, insects, and even bird eggs. Pairs produce one little a year, number 1-2 offpsring. Unfortunately, the Grizzled Giant Squir...

Tscherskia triton Did you know that there are literally dozens of species of Hamsters, not just the ones that we keep as pets? Today's animal is one of the wild ones. It is considered to be a "Rat-like Hamster" and is actually considered to be quite the nuisance! Meet the Greater Long-tailed Hamster , a rodent species that is found in China, North and South Korea, and parts of eastern Russia. They live in open areas near water, including grasslands, marshlands, and agricultural fields. The Hamsters that live near crops and rice fields are considered to be pests, as they will eagerly go after the grains and seeds. All members of the species, regardless of what they eat, stockpile food for the winter, sometimes up to 20lbs of it! Greater Long-tailed Hamsters have a very short lifespan-- only about a year. But during that year they do their very best to carry on their genetic line. They can produce three litters of up to 10 offspring in only a few months ti...

Mus tenellus Today's creature is one of those animals that not very much is written about. Maybe it is due to their small size? Maybe specific mouse species just aren't distinguishable enough from one another? Well, we're going to try and learn as much about the Delicate Mouse as possible anyway (though it may not be much). Because who couldn't be interested in a tiny creature with a name like that? The Delicate Mouse is one of many, many species found within the Mus  genus. What makes them (sort of) stand out is their location-- Mice are divided into five different location-based subgenera, and the Delicate Mice belong to the group that is exclusively found in Sub-Saharan Africa . They have been recorded in Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and Ethiopia, and were first described in 1903. Within their range, the Delicate Mice live in dry savanna habitats that are at low elevations. They feed on different grains and grasses, and they themselves serve as prey for a...

Marmota marmota It's been a while since we last talked about a Marmot- those big old Ground Squirrels that tend to produce some hilarious photographs . Today's Marmot is the largest of the clan, which also makes it the largest of all the world's Squirrels as well! Alpine Marmots are found (where else?) in the European Alps. Though I should also note that they have been introduced to the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Tatras, and a few other areas as well. Grassy, high-altitude plains are their preferred habitats, as they allow them to build the complex burrows systems that they live in, and to feed on the grasses and flowers that they prefer. Marmot families are pretty  close knit , are are comprised of a breeding pair and their offspring from previous years. They can number as few as 3-5 individuals, or as large as 50 ! There is some interbreeding within these colonies, but it is minimal as these colonies are typically female dominant, so the males only...

Octodon degus For the last decade or so I've kept Degus, but that came to an end this weekend when my last girl passed away. For some reason I hadn't written about these neat little rodents before, so now seems like the fitting time to do it. When people heard about my ownership of these animals, their first response was always "What the heck is a Degu?" And I don't really blame them. Before I stumbled upon the breeder of my first girl, I really didn't have a clue either. (Note, Don't impulse buy! I went home and read all about them before I made any decisions!) Degus love to sleep in piles Degus are small rodents that are native to central Chile, and they share a family with several species of Viscacha Rat. They are also relatives to Chinchillas and Guinea Pigs. The picture there doesn't do a whole lot of good, but they can grow up to a foot long, including the tail. All Degus are incredibly social animals. In the wild they can live in h...

Why not spend April Fools learning about an animal that doesn't even exist? Meet the Tasmanian Mock Walrus , a hoax animal that caused quite a bit of confusion way back on Aprils Fools Days, 1984. As a joke, the Orlando Sentinel  ran a story about the Tasmanian Mock Walrus, a 4in long creature that was the absolute perfect pet! It looked like a tiny Walrus! It could be littler box trained! It purrs like a cat and can even keep your house Cockroach free! The story even contained a photo of one of the little guys, who were being bred in the United States for the first time by a couple down in Florida. Allegedly, the Pest Control industry was harassing this couple, as they were afraid they would lose business because of these new miracle pets! So what was the little animal behind the newspaper prank? Just a regular old Naked Mole Rat. The story resulted in a flood of calls and letters to both the newspaper, and to Florida pet stores. It ...

Myocastor coypus What is this weird, beaver/rat looking Rodent? Why, it is the Nutria! Sometimes also referred to as the Coypu. These guys are native to South America, where they live near bodies of water and feed on the aquatic plants. Nutria often live in colonies where they breed at very quick rates. A female may have 2 or 3 litters a year, with each litter producing as many as 13 offspring! The young Nutria leave their mother after only a month or two. They are a short lived and very quick growing species. Male Nutria can reach sexual maturity at four months of age, and they tend to live for only a few years. Outside of their natives lands, Nutria are very, very destructive. See that shaggy, not especially appealing coat? Well under that is a very dense undercoat that has long been used in the fur industry. The desire for these pelts resulted in the growth of captive breeding fur farms... that the Nutria occasionally escaped from. The s...