| Tien Shan birch mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Dipodidae |
| Genus: | Sicista |
| Species: | S. tianshanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Sicista tianshanica (Salensky, 1903) | |
The Tien Shan birch mouse (Sicista tianshanica) is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Tien Shan birch mouse grows to a length of about 70 mm (2.8 in) with a tail length of about one and a half times its body length. The dorsal fur is a uniform yellowish-grey and there is no vertebral stripe as there is in the long-tailed birch mouse (Sicista caudata). The flanks are straw-coloured, the chin and throat are white and the underparts whitish-grey tinged with buff. The back of the skull is longer than that of the southern birch mouse (Sicista subtilis). [2]
The Tien Shan birch mouse is native to China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Its typical habitat is piedmont plains, mountain forests, alpine meadows and forest borders. [1]
The Tien Shan birch mouse does not have the specialised limbs of the Dipodidae, but still moved primarily by jumping. The long tail is semi-prehensile and assists it by winding round small branches when it scrambles about in bushes and low vegetation. [2] It is primarily nocturnal, being particularly active at dusk. It feeds mainly on insects, molluscs and earthworms early in the year, moving on to a diet of berries and seeds in the summer and autumn. It hibernates for a long period, depending on location. In the Issyk-kul region it is only active between May and October. One litter of three to seven young is born around mid-summer. [1]
The Tien Shan birch mouse has a wide range and is locally abundant, though its population fluctuates considerably. No specific threats have been identified and there are several protected areas within its distribution range, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern". [1]
The Dipodidae, or dipodids, are a family of rodents found across the Northern Hemisphere, the sole family in the superfamily Dipodoidea. This family includes over 50 species among the 16 genera. They include the jerboas, jumping mice, and birch mice. Different species are found in grassland, deserts, and forests. They are all capable of saltation, a feature that is most highly evolved in the desert-dwelling jerboas.
The long-tailed birch mouse is a species of jumping mouse found in Northeast Asia. It has been reported from the Ussuri region of Manchuria, Sakhalin Island and Primorsky Krai in Russia, and northern North Korea. It is listed as data deficient by the IUCN.
Birch mice are small jumping rodents that resemble mice with a long tufted tail and very long hind legs, allowing for remarkable leaps. They are native to Eurasian forests and steppes. All variants possess a long tail of 65 to 110 mm of length and weigh about 6 to 14 g. Head and body length of 50 to 90 mm and hind foot length of 14 to 18 mm. The skin color is light brown or dark-brown to brownish yellow on the upper side and paler on the underside, but generally brownish. Birch mice have a vast geographic distribution in that they inhabit a wide variety of habitats, from semiarid areas to subalpine meadows.
The northern birch mouse is a small rodent about 5 to 8 cm long, weighing 5 to 13 g. It lives in northern Europe and Asia in forest and marsh zones.
The southern birch mouse is a species of birch mouse in the family Dipodidae. It is found on the Balkan Peninsula, Ukraine, Romania, southern Russia and one isolated location in Hungary in the Borsodi Mezőség Protected Landscape Area. The Hungarian subspecies (S. subtilis trizona) is critically endangered and strictly protected. The first living specimen was captured after a 70-year-long hiatus in 2006.
The silver mountain vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. They are distinguished by their silver-grey pelage, long vibrissae, rootless hypsodont molars and angular skull shape. Like many mammals of the Eurasian Steppe eco-region, they are well adapted to life in high altitudes, and can be found in mountain areas of Central and North Asia from the Chukchi Peninsula in the north-east to Kugitang Range in the west, and to Tibet and the Himalayas in the south.
The grey dwarf hamster, grey hamster or migratory hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Its range extends from Eastern Europe through the Middle East, Russia and Central Asia to Mongolia and western China. The grey dwarf hamster has grey fur and a head-body length ranging from 85 to 120 mm. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Chinese jumping mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is monotypic within the genus Eozapus. It is endemic to China where its natural habitat is temperate forests, steppes and meadows in mountainous regions. It is tolerant of some degree of habitat destruction, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Kozlov's pygmy jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in northwestern China and southern and eastern Mongolia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.
The Armenian birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae.
The Kazbeg birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Georgia and Russia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Kluchor birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is endemic to Russia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Altai birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is native to Russia and Kazakhstan.
The gray birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is endemic to Kazakhstan. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Severtzov's birch mouse, or dark birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is endemic to East-European steppes.
Strand's birch mouse is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is endemic to Russia.
Andrews's three-toed jerboa, or the Mongolian jerboa, is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in China and Mongolia.
The thick-tailed three-toed jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Its typical habitat is steppe, desert and mountain grassland where it is often found among saltbush and Artemisia in sandy or clayey soils.
The tolai hare is a species of hare native to Central Asia, Mongolia, and Northern and Central China. It inhabits semi-desert, steppes, rocky habitats, and forest meadows. It is relatively common, even in areas with heavy human disturbance, due to its fast reproductive rate. It is mainly active at dusk and at night but is occasionally active during the day.
