Rodentia Gnawing Mammals

- Andrew Marmo

Skull Characteristics A pair of upper and

lower incisorsSingle open rootContinuously growing

Enamel on outside and exposed dentine on inside

Diastema between incisors and premolars

Order Rodentia Largest order of mammals with over

2000 species 40% of mammals are rodents Found on all continents except for

Antarctica Size and breeding cycle may be the

reason for their success.

Common House Mouse (Mus musculus)

Reach sexual maturity at about 4 weeks of age.

Breed year round 6 mice can turn into a family of 60 in 3

months

Cricetidae Includes true hamsters, voles, and New

World rats and mice. Almost 600 species Second largest family of mammals.-Largest in North America

Deer Mouse(Peromyscus maniculatus)

Inhabit nearly all types of land in PA

Eat seeds, berries, mushrooms, beetles, slugs, and spiders.

Name refers to their coats resemblance to a deer.

Southern Red-Backed Vole

(Clethrionomys gapperi) Found in much of upland PA

Favors cool damp forests with hemlocks, mossy rocks, and stumps

Climbs into low trees

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Mainly found in wetlands

Can stay submerged for up to 17 minutes

Feed mostly on aquatic vegetation

Builds dome shaped huts

CastoridaeBeaver

Castor canadensis Largest rodent in NA Can way up to 70

lbs. One of the few

species that pair for life

Estimated 30,000 in PA. (PA GC)

ErethizontidaePorcupines

Erethizon dorsatum Second largest

rodent in PA Top speed is 2 miles

per hour Den in caves, rock

crevices, hollow logs, and trees

SciuridaeSquirrels

Includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, prairie dogs, flying squirrels, and woodchucks.

Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis

Can run as fast as 14 mph and jump 6 feet between trees

Black coloration (melanism) is fairly common

Dens in tree cavities and leaf nests

Fox SquirrelSciuris niger

PA is northern extent of its range

Larger than Gray Squirrel

Rare in deep forests, prefers park-like woods

Red SquirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicuas

Prefers mature forests of white pine and hemlock

Eat everything from pine seeds to the young of birds

Store pinecones, nuts, and fruits in caches called middens

Southern Flying SquirrelGlaucomys volans

More common than northern flying squirrel in PA

Can sail up to 40 feet

Most predaceous of the tree squirrels

Eastern ChipmunkTamias striatus

Active in the day (diurnal)

Prefer open deciduous woods

Become torpid in the winter, respiration falls from 60 to less than 20 breaths per minute

Works Cited UCMP. Introduction to the Rodentia. .

<http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/rodentia/rodentia.html>.

NaturePhoto. Rodents. 2011. <http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/mammals/rodents.html>.

. Pennsylvania Wildlife. 08/22/10 . <http://pawild.net/home/show_con.php?p_id=14>.