Chaetodipus

Chaetodipus is a genus of pocket mouse containing 17 species endemic to the United States and Mexico.[1] Like other members of their family such as pocket mice in the genus Perognathus, they are more closely related to pocket gophers than to true mice.

Characteristics

Members of this genus range in size from 80 to 125 mm (head and body) and weigh 15–47 grams (Nowak, 1999). Unlike the silky pocket mice (genus Perognathus), most species of the genus Chaetodipus have harsh pelage with some bordering on spiny hair. They tend to be found in arid habitats where they feed on seeds, vegetation, and insects (Nowak, 1999). Females give birth to a litter of 2–9 young after a gestation period of just under a month. The longest recorded life span is 8 years and 4 months (Nowak, 1999).

Species

Sometimes members of the genus Chaetodipus are placed in the genus Perognathus.

Footnotes

  1. Patton, J.L. (2005). "Genus Chaetodipus". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 853–856. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.