![]() ![]() Mating occurs in April the gestation period is 3-4 weeks 2 litters are produced, each averaging 4-5 young. Pocket mice can survive long periods without water and are nocturnal. Insects and plants complement the primarily granivorous diet. Stored food enables pocket mice to survive winter, alternating between dormant and feeding periods. Food is carried to the burrow in external, fur-lined cheek "pockets." The tail, almost as long as the head and body together, serves as a prop, particularly when the animal feeds in its characteristic sitting position. Pocket mice have large hind limbs and smaller front limbs, all 4 used in jumping. Pocket mice are greyish above with white underparts. ![]() They occur in the dry western plains and the basin between the Rocky Mountains and the BC coastal range. parvus respectively) and Ord's kangaroo rat. Three live in Canada: olive-backed and Great Basin pocket mice ( Perognathus fasciatus, P. The 75 species of Heteromyidae are adapted to desert and semidesert environments. ![]() It grants you what it will.Pocket Mouse, small, jumping rodent of the North American family Heteromyidae. NPS Photo – a Desert Woodrat caught using a motion-sensored camera trap at Cabrillo National Monument. It is seen here eating a mealworm.Īnd if the previously mentioned traits weren’t enough to show how tough these little mammals can be, the Desert Woodrat simply uses brute force to fight off would be competitors for water resources such as a Shaw’s agave or Dudleyas, which store large quantities of water in their fleshy leaves. NPS Photo/Warren Tam – with its fast metabolism, the small Desert Shrew is a voracious eater. NPS Photo/Stephanie Root – the Desert Shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi) They also do most of their hunting in the cool nights and are voracious predators of insects, where they get much of their water. Still, this lowered heart rate allows it to function more resourcefully in a harsh environment. Our local desert shrew ( Notiosorex crawfordi) has a much more modest metabolism with a heart rate of a mere 500 bpm (that’s more than 8 times faster than the average human heart rate!). Some have heart rates of up to 1000 beats per minute. On top of highly efficient kidneys and adapted respiratory systems, shrews are known for having incredibly fast metabolisms. fallax) among the brush at Cabrillo National Monument. NPS Photo/Don Endicott – a San Diego Pocket Mouse (C. Pocket mice are so efficient at conserving water they can survive on seeds alone and rarely ever need to drink fresh water. These pouches isolate the seeds from the mouth to avoid losing precious water to the seeds. fallax respectively) have another nifty adaptation, fur-lined cheek pouches for storing seeds to take back to their caches. The California and San Diego pocket mice ( Chaetodipus californicus and C. They can filter impurities through highly efficient kidneys and have highly adapted respiratory systems. Similar to the vital stillsuit used to keep humans alive in the Arrakis desert, our small rodent friends are able to store and conserve water with amazing proficiency. Like its cousin, the mighty Muad’Dib, our local rodents are impressive desert survivors. Photo courtesy of Mark Molnar - an artist’s rendering of the animal Muad’Dib from Frank Herbert’s Dune. ![]() While we aren’t exactly the barren lands of the desert planet in Dune, the plants and animals at Cabrillo National Monument need to have some pretty specialized traits to survive the harsh drought and desert-like conditions here. They are tenacious desert survivors and are highly respected by the Fremen tribes on the desert planet of Arrakis. Its description most closely resembles a kangaroo rat or possibly a pocket mouse. Muad’Dib is a fictional animal from Frank Herbert’s Dune. Muad'Dib is fruitful and multiplies over the land. Muad'Dib hides from the sun and travels in the cool night. Muad'Dib is wise in the ways of the desert. ![]()
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