| Zaisan mole vole | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Kyzylasker, Kazakhstan | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Genus: | Ellobius |
| Species: | E. tancrei |
| Binomial name | |
| Ellobius tancrei Blasius, 1884 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Zaisan mole vole (Ellobius tancrei), or eastern mole vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. [2] It is found in central Asia.
The Zaisan mole vole is highly adapted to life underground. It grows to a head and body length of 95 to 131 mm (3.7 to 5.2 in) with a short tail 8 to 20 mm (0.3 to 0.8 in) long and weighs between 30 and 88 grams (1.1 and 3.1 oz). The coat is dense, soft and velvety. The face and the crown of the head are dark brown and the external ears are reduced to a fleshy ridge. The incisors are pure white, straight and long and project forward in front of the snout. The dorsal surface of the body varies in colour from sandy brown to dark greyish brown and the underparts vary from white to greyish brown. The tail is sandy brown and is tipped with a tuft of greyish-white hair. The hands and feet are broad, have small claws and are covered with white hairs. [3]
The karyotype is variable, with 2n = 32-54. The Y chromosome has been lost, similar to the case of E. lutescens ; however, unlike in E. lutescens, both males and females have a pair of X chromosomes. [2] [4]
The range of the Zaisan mole vole includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, southeastern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang (China), northwestern, central and south-eastern Mongolia and Tuva (Russia). Its typical habitat includes steppes, deserts and grasslands. It especially flourishes in moist valleys and near lakes and streams where the soil is deep. [1]
The Zaisan mole vole lives in an extensive burrow system with horizontal passages about 5 or 6 cm (2.0 or 2.4 in) in diameter which are usually 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16 in) below the ground. Other passages lead to storage and nesting chambers at greater depths. These mole voles burrow using their incisors and upward movements of their head to push their way through loose soil. [3] They are active at all times of day and night when underground but seldom emerge onto the surface during the day. At night, they forage over a wide area and feed largely on roots, bulbs and tubers. [3]
Reproduction takes place between April and September when six or seven litters may be produced at intervals of about 35 days. The gestation period is 26 days, with each litter consisting of three to seven offspring which remain in the nest until they are weaned at two months of age. By three months, they are sexually mature. [3]
The Zaisan mole vole has a wide range and a large total population. No particular threats to it have been recognised and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]
The American shrew mole is the smallest species of mole. It is the only living member of the genus Neurotrichus and the tribe Neurotrichini. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole and least shrew mole. It is not closely related to the Asian shrew mole. The reason that it is called a "shrew mole" instead of being called either a "shrew" or a "mole" is because of its fur, which is a characteristic of shrews and its large head and heavy dentition, which is characteristic of moles.
The blesmols, also known as mole-rats, or African mole-rats, are burrowing rodents of the family Bathyergidae. They represent a distinct evolution of a subterranean life among rodents much like the pocket gophers of North America, the tuco-tucos in South America, or the Spalacidae from Eurasia.
The gray-tailed vole also known as the gray-tailed meadow vole or gray-tailed meadow mouse, is a rodent in the genus Microtus of the family Cricetidae. Voles are small mammals, and this species lies roughly in the middle of their size range. First collected in 1895, it is endemic to the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and Clark County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Historically, they were found in the prairie areas of the Valley and, though many of these areas have been converted for agricultural purposes, these animals remain common. For reasons that remain unclear, vole population densities in any area may fluctuate widely from season to season and year to year. They are preyed upon by owls, hawks, and carnivorous mammals, and their parasites include fleas and ticks. These voles build burrows and complex tunnel networks, which they sometimes share with other burrowing animals. Relatively little is known about their behavior in the wild, because they are elusive and unlikely to enter traps.
The collared tuco-tuco is a tuco-tuco species from South America. It is found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina where it lives underground in a burrow it digs in savannah habitats. It is a relatively common species and the IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The reed vole is a species of vole. It is found in northern and central Eurasia, including northern China and the Korean Peninsula. This species is somewhat larger and longer-tailed than most other voles.
The silvery mole-rat, silvery blesmol, or silky mole-rat is a species of mole-rat of East Africa which occurs in southern Kenya, Tanzania, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Malawi. Solitary and aggressive, little is known about its ecology or behavior. It is monotypic in the genus Heliophobius. A common species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
Ellobius is a genus of rodents in the family Cricetidae. It is the only member of the tribe Ellobiusini. It contains two of the handful of examples of mammal species that have lost the Y chromosome.
The southern mole vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.
The Transcaucasian mole vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
The northern mole vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is distributed over large parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.
The Ryukyu spiny rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Endemic to Amami Ōshima island in the Amami Islands of the Ryukyu archipelago of Japan, its natural habitat is subtropical moist broadleaf forest. The karyotype has an odd diploid number, 2n = 25. Like its relative T. tokunoshimensis, it has lost its Y chromosome and SRY gene.
The lesser bamboo rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is monotypic within the genus Cannomys. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand.
The Texas pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Tamaulipas in Mexico and in Texas in the United States.
The Chinese zokor is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to China, ranging from Qinghai Province eastwards to Beijing in steppe and alpine grasslands. Henri Milne-Edwards first described it in 1867. Eradication programs in the 1990s in Qinghai Province resulted in a population decline to less than a third of the former population. It is considered common and has been assessed as Least Concern by IUCN.
The giant blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae endemic to the North Caucasus region of Russia. It feeds on roots and tubers and lives underground in a burrow that it digs with its teeth.
The greater blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Russia and Ukraine.
The Ussuri mole or large mole, is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae, formerly treated as a subspecies of the Japanese mole. It is found in China, North Korea, South Korea, and Russia and lives in a long burrow, seldom emerging on the surface of the ground during the day.
The common mole-rat, African mole-rat, or Hottentot mole-rat, is a burrowing rodent found in Southern Africa, in particular in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It also occurs in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is a species in the subfamily Bathyerginae.
The Tokunoshima spiny rat is a rodent found only on the island of Tokunoshima in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Due to its small habitat, it is considered endangered. It is commonly found in the secondary and primary subtropical moist broadleaf forests of this island. The karyotype has an odd diploid number, 2n = 45. Like its relative T. osimensis, it is one of the few mammals that lack a Y chromosome and SRY gene.
