#meadow jumping mouse

[weirdchristmas]

A rat family with a slightly chewed note with the message "May all the pleasures of Christmas be yours"

[rodentcompetition]

Preliminaries

Pick the best rodent!

Hungarian birch mouse

Meadow jumping mouse

Voting ended onApr 4, 2023

Information about contestants below!

Hungarian birch mouse (Sicista trizona)

It’s one of the rarest and least known small mammal species in Europe. It was once found throughout Central Europe and Romania, but is now only known from two isolated populations, each of which belong to their own subspecies. Both populations were feared to be extinct throughout much of the 20th century until being rediscovered in the 21st century.

It was long thought to be a subspecies of the southern birch mouse (S. subtilis), but a 2016 study found sufficient genetic and anatomical divergence for it to be considered its own species.

This species depends on undisturbed grassland habitat or grassland grazed by livestock, which has become rare due to mechanized agriculture. It’s classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius)

A distinct characteristic about this species is its enlarged hind feet and relatively short forelimbs. This gives it a kangaroo rat-like look, although its tail, which makes up most of this creature's body length, is not bushy at the tip. The color of the fur has a few variations, but a broad dorsal stripe is always present.

They’re capable of jumping anywhere from two to three feet depending on the situation; excellent digger and a decent swimmer, also capable of diving.

Meadow jumping mice prefer a habitat which is high in humidity, like moist grasslands, and avoid heavily wooded areas. They are solitary animals, rarely if ever seen in pairs, but to contrast that, they are not aggressive towards each other either.

[geopsych]

Meadow jumping mouse. Look at those feet and that tail!

[hankwag93]

Other finds from the Montezuma Audubon Center.

[lachrimaestro]

A slightly dampened meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius)  whose antics in a beaver pond and subsequent rescue are recounted by zoobieismynickname.

[richardbillies-blog]

How the Endangered Species Act has endangered America

How the Endangered Species Act has endangered America

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the endangering the citizens of the United States in more ways than one. The act was signed by President Richard Nixon in December 1973 and environmentalists consider it the Magna Carta of their movement.

Its intent was to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a “consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and 

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