12/30/2023 0 Comments Spiny pocket mouse ca![]() In some species a rust-coloured strip separates upperparts and underparts. All the spiny pocket mice have harsh fur made up of stiff, bristly hairs that may be gray, reddish brown, dark brown, or glossy black. Forest pocket mice range from southern Mexico to northern South America, where they live from sea level upward into mountains. The seven species of forest spiny pocket mice (genus Heteromys) are the largest, weighing from 37 to 85 grams and having 11- to 18-cm bodies and long scantily haired tails. These pocket mice weigh 34 to 50 grams and have a body length of 10 to 14 cm and long tails of up to 16 cm. The five species of spiny pocket mice (genus Liomys) are found in extreme southern Texas, but they live mostly in Mexico southward to Panama in semiarid brushy and rocky habitats. Silky and coarse-haired pocket mice range from western Canada and the United States into southern Mexico, where they inhabit open desert country. Coarse-haired pocket mice are similar in colour to silky pocket mice, but the fur is harsh and the rump has spiny bristles. The 15 species of coarse-haired pocket mice (genus Chaetodipus) are larger on average, weighing 15 to 47 grams and having a body length of 8 to 13 cm and hairy, tufted tails as long as or much longer than the body (up to 15 cm). Silky pocket mice have soft fur ranging from yellowish to gray on the upperparts and white to buff on the underparts soles of the hind feet are furry, but in all other pocket mice the soles are hairless. The nine species of silky pocket mice (genus Perognathus) are very small, weighing from 5 to 30 grams (0.2 to 1.1 ounces) and having a body length of 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 inches) and hairy tails 5 to 10 cm long. Others remain in burrows during winter or on hot days in summer they may become torpid but do not hibernate. Most are active all year, even some of those living at northern latitudes. They eat seeds, succulent plant parts, and nuts, carrying food (mainly seeds) in their cheek pouches to hoard in burrows. Pocket mice are nocturnal and usually solitary. rufescens occurs in rough terrain and narrow washes in hills south from Palm Springs to the border of Mexico (Riverside and San Diego cos.). Like âtrueâ mice and rats (family Muridae), pocket mice travel on all four limbs along the ground, as opposed to hopping like their relative, the kangaroo mouse. Spiny Pocket Mouse Distribution, Abundance, and Seasonality Two forms occur in California. The pouches are used for storing food, particularly seeds, as the animal forages. Pocket mouse, any of 36 species of American rodents having fur-lined external cheek pouches that open alongside the mouth.
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