Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of mouse-like
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
s in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
Although
mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw. There are five toes to all the feet, but the first in the fore-feet is rudimentary, and furnished with a flat nail. The tail makes up about 60% of its body length and is used to gain balance while jumping. The cheeks have pouches. The
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
jumping "yeti" mouse (''
Eozapus setchuanus
The Chinese jumping mouse (''Eozapus setchuanus'') 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 mounta ...
'') from China can be identified by the ‘Y’ marking on its belly.
Jumping mice live in wooded areas, grassy fields and alpine meadows. When disturbed, they start, in enormous bounds of eight or ten feet in length, which soon diminish to three or four, and in leaping the feet scarcely seem to touch the ground. They are nocturnal and generally live alone. The nest is placed in clefts of rocks, among timber, or in hollow trees, and there are generally three litters in a season.
Taxonomy
Formerly classified in the subfamily Zapodinae alongside the
birch mice and
jerboas
Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.
When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...
within the greater family
Dipodidae
Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert Rodent, rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.
When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are pre ...
, phylogenetic analysis has found the jumping mice, birch mice, and jerboas to each form their own family, with Dipodidae being restricted to the jerboas. All three families are thought to belong to the greater superfamily
Dipodoidea
Dipodoidea is a superfamily of rodents, also known as dipodoids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. This superfamily includes over 50 species among the 16 genera in 3 families. They include the jerboas (family Dipodidae), jumping mice (fa ...
.
Classification
There are 11 recent species listed by the
American Society of Mammalogists
The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals, and professions studying them. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists ...
as of 2021.
Subfamily Zapodidae, jumping mice
*Genus ''
Eozapus
The Chinese jumping mouse (''Eozapus setchuanus'') 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 mounta ...
''
**
Chinese jumping mouse
The Chinese jumping mouse (''Eozapus setchuanus'') 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 mounta ...
, ''Eozapus setchuanus''
*Genus ''
Napaeozapus
The woodland jumping mouse (''Napaeozapus insignis'') is a species of jumping mouse found in North America. It can jump up to using its extremely strong feet and long tail.
Taxonomy
Representatives of the family Dipodidae are found in the nort ...
''
**
Western woodland jumping mouse, ''Napaeozapus abietorum''
**
Eastern woodland jumping mouse, ''Napaeozapus insignis''
*Genus ''
Zapus''
**
Northern meadow jumping mouse, ''Zapus hudsonius''
**
Southern meadow jumping mouse, ''Zapus luteus''
**
Central Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus montanus''
**
Oregon jumping mouse, ''Zapus oregonus''
**
South Pacific jumping mouse
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
, ''Zapus pacificus''
**
Southwestern jumping mouse, ''Zapus princeps''
**
Northwestern jumping mouse, ''Zapus saltator''
**
North Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus trinotatus''
Fossil genera
In addition, four fossil genera are also definitively known:
* Genus †''
Javazapus''
* Genus †''
Pliozapus''
* Genus †''
Sinozapus''
*Genus †''
Sminthozapus''
See also
*
Hopping mouse - a
murid
In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A '' sālik'' or Su ...
rodent native to Australia
*
Jerboa
Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.
When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...
- a related desert-dwelling
dipodid
Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts.
When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...
rodent native to northern Africa and Asia
*
Kangaroo mouse
A kangaroo mouse is either one of the two species of jumping mouse (genus ''Microdipodops'') native to the deserts of the southwestern United States, predominantly found in the state of Nevada. The name "kangaroo mouse" refers to the species' ext ...
and
kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed thi ...
-
heteromyid rodents of North America
*
Kultarr
The kultarr (''Antechinomys laniger'') (also called the "jerboa-marsupial" or marsupial jerboa) is a small insectivorous nocturnal marsupial inhabiting the arid interior of Australia. Preferred habitat includes stony deserts, shrubland, woodland ...
- an unrelated
marsupial
Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...
with a similar body plan and coloration; an example of
convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
*Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that ...
*
Springhare
''Pedetes'' is a genus of rodent, the springhares, in the family Pedetidae. Members of the genus are distributed across southern and Eastern Africa.
Species
A number of species both extant and extinct are classified in the genus ''Pedetes''. ...
- a
pedetid
The Pedetidae are a family of mammals from the rodent order. The two living species, the springhares, are distributed throughout much of southern Africa and also around Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Fossils have been found as far north as Turkey.M ...
rodent native to southern and eastern Africa
References
Zapodidae
Rodent families
Dipodoid rodents
Taxa named by Elliott Coues
{{rodent-stub
Extant Miocene first appearances