''Zapus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of North American

jumping mouse Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a family of mouse-like rodents in North America and China. Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs o ...

. It is the only genus whose members have the

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...

. ''Zapus'' are the only extant mammals aside from the

Aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate. ...

with a total of 18 teeth. This genus was first separated from

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

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 ...

by Coues in 1875. Members of this genus are very similar in appearance, all species having long tails, long hind feet and yellowish-brown

pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily #Guard hair, guard hair on top and thick #Down hair, underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as ...

above and white below, the colors distinctly separated by a yellowish-orange lateral line.

Taxonomy

The genus contains eight extant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. At least some of these subspecies designations are thought to be tenuous: * Northern meadow jumping mouse, ''Zapus hudsonius'' **''Zapus hudsonius acadicus'' **''Zapus hudsonius adamsi'' **''Zapus hudsonius alascensis'' **''Zapus hudsonius americanus'' **''Zapus hudsonius campestris'' **''Zapus hudsonius canadensis'' **''Zapus hudsonius hudsonius'' **''

Zapus hudsonius preblei Preble's meadow jumping mouse (''Zapus hudsonius preblei'') is a subspecies of meadow jumping mouse, endemic to the upland habitats of Colorado and Wyoming in North America. It is found nowhere else in the world. It is listed as Threatened under ...

'' **''Zapus hudsonius transitionalis'' *

Southern meadow jumping mouse Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

, ''Zapus luteus'' **''Zapus luteus luteus'' **''Zapus luteus pallidus'' *

Central Pacific jumping mouse Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, ''Zapus montanus'' **''Zapus montanus eureka'' **''Zapus montanus montanus'' **''Zapus montanus orarius (Pt. Reyes Jumping Mouse?)'' *

Oregon jumping mouse Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, ''Zapus oregonus'' **''Zapus oregonus cinereus'' **''Zapus oregonus curtatus'' **''Zapus oregonus 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'' **''Zapus princeps chysogenys'' **''Zapus princeps princeps'' *

Northwestern jumping mouse Northwestern or North-western or North western may refer to: * Northwest, a direction * Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois ** The Northwestern Wildcats, this school's intercollegiate athletic program ** No ...

, ''Zapus saltator'' **''Zapus saltator saltator'' **''Zapus saltator idahoensis'' **''Zapus saltator kootenayensis'' **''Zapus saltator minor'' * North Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus trinotatus'' The Okanogan Valley jumping mouse (''Zapus okanoganensis''), which is restricted to the

Okanogan Valley Okanogan County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington along the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population w ...

and the eastern slopes of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, was described in 2017. Although it is definitely thought to be a distinct species, it has not yet been properly published and is thus considered a ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...

'', and is tentatively classified in '' Z. saltator'' until that happens. A number of fossil species are also known, with the oldest being '' Zapus rinkeri'' from the

Blancan The Blancan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 4,750,000 to 1,806,000 years Before Present, BP, a period of .

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

In popular culture

The Linux distribution

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...

named its version 17.04 after the small creature, giving it the codename Zesty Zapus.

References

*Allen, J. A. 1900. The North-American Jumping Mice. The American Naturalist, 34:399, pp. 199–202. {{Taxonbar, from=Q524430 Taxa named by Elliott Coues Rodent genera