Woodland jumping mouse
| Woodland jumping mouse Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene to Recent
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image = 2 Woodland Jumping Mice.jpg image_width = 200px | |
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| Genus: | Napaeozapus Preble, 1899
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| Species: | N. insignis
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| Napaeozapus insignis (Miller, 1891)
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The woodland jumping mouse, Napaeozapus insignis, is a species of jumping mouse found in North America. It can hop surprisingly long distances given its small size. The Woodland Jumping Mouse is an extraordinary part of the rodent family. Its scientific name in Latin is Napaeozapus insignis, meaning glen or wooded dell + big or strong feet + a distinguishing mark. This mammal can jump up to 10 feet when scared, using its extremely strong feet and long tail.
Physical Description
The Woodland Jumping Mouse has bright gold fur, with streaks of black on the sides, and a white underside. Their bodies are usually 2-6 inches long. And their tails 1-8 inches long, for an average of 8-12 inches total length. They have large, round eyes to help see in the dark, and on average weigh ¼-2 ounces. They have long, white or black whiskers around their small, pink nose to help them feel their surroundings. Their long, strong tails help the Woodland Jumping Mouse maintain balance, and also help them jump up to 10 feet, thus helping them escape from predators, such as the mink, owls, and various other birds of prey. These rodents can swim, dive up to 1 meter, and live up to 4 years in the wild and up to 8 years in captivity!
Seasonal Activities
Summertime is the peak activity period of the Woodland Jumping Mouse. During this time, the mating season begins; mice that re-emerged from hibernation eat lots of food to restore body weight and fat. Then, during fall, some mice start to hibernate as early as September, but most wait until late November. Prior to hibernation, these mice start gathering food and fat more than 2 weeks before they plan to hibernate. During hibernation, body temperatures usually drop from 37°C to 2°C (98.5°F- 5.6°F.) Even during their hibernation, they wake up about every 2 weeks to urinate or eat from their food stashes. Only about 1/3 of all mice that enter hibernation survive; the rest either die from hypothermia or are eaten by predators. Some mice do not enter hibernation in the first place, but they move to nearby peoples houses, and live inside the walls, in old furniture, or cabinets. They eat scraps or foods that were leftover. But the mice that do hibernate and survive usually re-emerge around April.
Reproduction
The mating season for the Woodland Jumping Mouse starts at the beginning of summer (May,) and ends at the end of summer (August.) Females usually have 2 or more litters a year, each containing 1-12 juveniles. Their gestation usually lasts 29 or more days. When born, the juveniles are pink, blind and hairless. The female nurses the young while the male gets food to feed the young. The young first leave the nest after 16 days, leaving permanently after 34 days or less. About 90% of young are eaten, every 1 out of 10 lives.
Habitat
The Woodland Jumping Mouse is most commonly found in coniferous forests, hardwood forests, streams, meadows, bogs, moors, steppe, thicket, on the edges of fields or grassy banks of small bodies of water. There are about 3 of this species of mouse for every 1 acre of land [citation needed]. The vegetation that is usually found near their shelters, and are an important part of their diet is the Endogone fungi.
Shelter
The Woodland Jumping Mouse will live in either nests or burrows. The nests are usually found in hollow logs, under roots of trees or under rocks. The burrows can be found almost anywhere, although they are usually by a plant that can cover the entrance. Their nests are made from soft grasses, reeds and leaves. The burrows usually have multiple chambers, each one dug for a different reason. There is usually a room filled with nesting materials such as grass, reeds and leaves, which is used for sleeping or hibernation. Second, most mice have a room where they store and horde food for hibernation. And finally, there is, in most cases and room with some nesting material for mating, and where the juveniles will be nursed.
Food
The Woodland Jumping Mouse is an omnivore. They eat earthworms, various insects, moth larvae, beetles, berries, nuts, seeds, fruit, leaves, flower petals and buds, crocus bulbs, grapes, gooseberries, rose hips, and apples. There is one important staple that is more than 40% of the Woodland Jumping Mouse’s diet [citation needed]. This is the fund Endogone. Food is usually gathered during nighttime, as these mice are nocturnal. Most food is gathered around dusk and sunrise, because those are the times that they are most active.
Stoats, weasels, cats, hawks, owls, skunks, minks, bobcats and rattlesnakes are all predators of this species.