This mouse has long been confused with its European relative, with which it has many external similarities, although it is much larger. And only in 1894 was the yellow-throated mouse isolated as a separate species. The Red Book of the Moscow Region was replenished with this rodent in 2008.
Distribution
This small animal lives in the forest zone and the mountain-forest belt of the European part of the countries of the former Soviet Union and Western Europe. The habitat extends to the north, up to the coast of the B altic countries and the Karelian Isthmus. Then the northern border passes through the Kalinin, Gorky and Novgorod regions, Tatarstan. In the south-western regions of the Odessa region and in the south of the Carpathians, the range border runs along the right bank of the Dnieper, through Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Lugansk and a little north of Volgograd goes to the Volga. Along the right bank, it goes up to Saratov and smoothly flows to the left bank to the forest-steppe regions of the Volga region.
The yellow-throated mouse, whose photo we posted in this article, lives in the forests of the Caucasus, Crimea, the lower reaches of the Sudak and Terek rivers.
Where does the yellow-throated mouse live?
This animal is most common in deciduous forests. It prefers tall oak forests, while the population is especially numerous in mountain beech forests. It also occurs in mixed forests, in the presence of broad-leaved species. Unlike the common wood mouse, it is little adapted to life in shaded, tall, old plantings. As a rule, it does not go beyond the boundaries of forests, especially in the central and eastern areas of distribution.
Just like the forest, yellow-throated mouse in winter is found in household and residential buildings. It damages cereals and vegetables.
Yellow-throated mouse description
Small rodent, the body length of which is from ten to fourteen centimeters. To this must be added a thirteen-centimeter tail. For a mouse of this size, the length of the feet seems very large - up to 2.8 cm. The ears are large, up to 2 cm high.
On the back, the fur is colored red with a brown or ocher tint. A black narrow stripe is clearly visible along the back. The belly is whitish, although the very base of the hair is dark. A large oval or round yellow spot is located on the chest.
The skull of adults is massive and slightly angular. It is narrower on the sides and flattened on top. On the upper part of the head, ridge-like ridges are developed, which begin between the eyes and continue until they connect with the crests of the squamosal. nasal sectionelongated, incisal openings are wide and practically not tapering.
Lifestyle
The yellow-throated mouse is predominantly active at night or at dusk. The rodent settles mainly in hollows of trees at different heights - from the root region to twelve meters. In addition, this mouse digs holes under the roots. They can have quite long passages, reaching a depth of one and a half meters, and extensive chambers where the hostess keeps her supplies.
This variety more often than other forest rodents settles in bird nests, especially if there are few hollows in the forest. The yellow-throated mouse is a pronounced seed-eater. She especially likes seeds of broad-leaved species: beech nuts, hazelnuts, acorns, maple and linden seeds. Eats the seeds of a new crop long before their final maturation. Winter stocks of this little animal reach four kilograms.
Reproduction
The breeding season is long - it starts in early February and lasts until October. During this time, females at several intervals bring several broods - from two to four per year. Rodents from the first litter reach sexual maturity in the same year. Pregnancy lasts 26 to 28 days.
Offspring
Mice are born in a specially prepared nest chamber, which a caring mother lays out with dry grass. There can be from two to ten (most often five). They are born completely helpless, naked and blind. The characteristic yellow collars in babies become clearly visible at the age of two weeks. Aboutat the same time they open their eyes. When the mice are eighteen days old, the female stops feeding offspring.
Economic value
Yellow-throated mouse is a pest of agricultural land. It damages carrots and potatoes, watermelons and tomatoes, sunflowers, as well as cereals both on the vine and in stacks. Cases have been recorded when in some areas in central Russia it was necessary to abandon the planting of oak in the fall, as these rodents destroyed the sown acorns.
This species is a carrier of many serious diseases. One of the most dangerous is tick-borne encephalitis. In 1992, scientists determined that the yellow-throated mouse is a carrier of the Dobrava-Belgrade cantavirus, which causes a serious disease - hemorrhagic fever complicated by renal syndrome.
Yellow-throated mouse: interesting facts
- This species, like most small animals, has a very high metabolic rate. In this regard, they eat very often. These animals are very voracious. This is confirmed by recalculating their body weight to the amount of food consumed. They are able to inflict especially tangible damage during the period of forage harvesting for the winter. At this time, mice collect grains, seeds, nuts, acorns and hide them in hiding places located next to the hole. Interestingly, these mice never store food in the burrow itself.
- Fleeing from the enemy, the yellow-throated mouse makes several hugeher meter jumps. If we compare the body size of this animal and the length of the jump, it becomes clear that this species is much superior to even the recognized champion in long jump among mammals - the gray kangaroo. This ability of the mouse is due to the special structure of the hind legs and their power.
- Large individuals of yellow-throated mice, being in the same cage with forest mice, kill, and then eat the latter. Interestingly, in the natural environment, the ranges of these two species intersect, and no cases of cannibalism have been recorded. Probably, yellow-throated mice catch their smaller relatives only in a confined space.
