•
•
•
•
•
Order Rodentia
Family Cricetidae
Diastema
1 pair incisors
Ears shorter than tail
Eyes, ears visible
Tail with fur, or
laterally flattened; not
bushy
• Tail shorter than head
and body
Peromyscus leucopus
Identification: Long
bicolored tail; fur bristly,
short; dorsum yellowbrown to gray; venter
white; upper incisor face
grooved
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Grassy habitats;
spherical nest of grasses,
fibers, down
Reithrodontomys
megalotis
Reithrodontomys megalotis
Diet: Seeds, grains,
herbaceous vegetation;
some invertebrates
Reproduction: Up to 14
litters of 1-9 annually
Conservation: Fairly common
Identification: Large eyes;
fur not very bristly;
incisors lack grooves;
bicolored tail; dorsum
brown to gray; dorsum
white (TL 125-160 mm)
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Grassy and brushy
areas; early invader of
disturbed habitat (e.g.,
tilled fields)
Peromyscus
maniculatus bairdii
Peromyscus maniculatus
Diet: Grains, invertebrates
bairdii
Reproduction: Several litters
of 1-11 annually
Conservation: Very
abundant
Other: Most common
carrier of Hantavirus
Pulmonary Syndrome
Identification: Large eyes;
fur not very bristly;
incisors lack grooves;
bicolored tail in winter;
dorsum brown to gray;
dorsum white (TL 160200)
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Tall weedy, brushy,
wooded habitat
Peromyscus leucopus
Peromyscus leucopus
Diet: Nuts, seeds, berries,
invertebrates
Reproduction: Several
litters of 1-7 annually
Conservation: Common
Other: Carrier of Hantavirus
Pulmonary Syndrome
Clethrionomys gapperi
Identification: Small eyes,
ears; dorsum with reddish
stripe flanked by gray;
venter grayish to white
Distribution: Northern Iowa
Habitat: Cold, moist forests
and open wet areas; tunnel
under logs
Clethrionomys gapperi
Diet: Nuts, seeds, berries,
herbaceous vegetation,
some invertebrates
Reproduction: Multiple
litters of 2-10
Conservation: Endangered;
likely survives only in Pilot
Knob State Park, Hancock
County
Microtus pinetorum
Identification: Small eyes
and ears; tail longer than
hind foot, and up to 29
mm; fur soft and velvety;
dorsum reddish to reddish
brown
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Old-growth forest
Microtus pinetorum
Diet: Nuts, seeds, roots,
grasses, bark
Reproduction: Multiple litters
of up to 3 young
Conservation: Uncommon
Identification: Small eyes
and ears; tail usually > 29
mm; fur long and coarse;
dorsum brown to gray
with salt-and-pepper
appearance; venter usually
yellowish; tail somewhat
bicolored; molars with
5,4,4 islands of dentine
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Dry, grassy areas
Microtus
ochrogaster
Molars
Microtus ochrogaster
Diet: Green vegetation, roots,
seeds, bark
Reproduction: Multiple litters
of 1-7
Conservation: Generally
common, uncommon in
east Iowa; probably
declining due to agriculture
Identification: Small eyes,
ears; tail usually longer
than 29 mm; fur soft;
dorsum brown to gray
with salt-and-pepper
appearance; venter usually
gray; 3 molars with 5,5,56 islands of dentine
Microtus
pennsylvanicus
Distribution: Statewide
Habitat: Moist grassy
areas
Molars
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Diet: Green vegetation, seeds
Reproduction: Multiple litters
of 1-11
Conservation: Very abundant;
probably increasing;
densities may reach 100 per
acre
Order Rodentia
Family Muridae
Kristin Myers
The Mammals of Texas - Online Edition
Onychomys leucogaster: Northern Grasshopper
Mouse
Identification: stout body;
drab brown dorsally, white
ventrally; stout, bicolored
tail with a white tip,
usually less than 1/3 of TL
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpe
ciesFT.asp?fotogID=942&curPageNum=15
&recnum=MA0087
Distribution: The Loess Hills
Habitat: Shortgrass prairies, sand dunes and
sage brush desert. Build burrows in sandy
soil; prefer higher elevations
Diet: Insects such as grasshoppers,
crickets, scorpions and beetles; other
grasshopper mice
Reproduction: Year
round but mainly
May-Oct. Give birth to
usually 4 young in
several litters annually.
Males do not care for
the young.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/
site/accounts/information/Onychomys_l
eucogaster.html
Conservation status:
Threatened
Other: Stalk their prey
like a feline and let out
a shrill cry before
attacking.
http://jagor.srce.hr/XIIIgim/pictures/r
odents/northern_grasshopper_mous
e.jpg
References
• National Wildlife Federation. ENature. Available at
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesFT.asp?fot
ogID=942&curPageNum=15&recnum=MA0087
• The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Animal
Diversity Web. Available at
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/infor
mation/Onychomys_leucogaster.html
• Sevilleta LTER Data. Available at
http://sevilleta.unm.edu/data/species/mammal/sevilleta/pro
file/northern-grasshopper-mouse.html
Ondatra zibethicus
Muskrat
Elizabeth Yoder
Identification
• Semiaquatic
• Tail laterally
compressed, nearly
hairless and scaly
• Large hindfeet, partly
webbed
• Smaller than beaver
Identification continued
• Upper pelage dark,
dense, and glossy
• Flanks are paler
• Underparts silvery
gray
Measurements
• Total length= 470-630
cm
• Tail= 200-260 cm
• Hindfoot= 70-90 cm
• Weight= .7-1.5 kg
Distribution
• Statewide
• From Alaska and
Labrador south to
northernmost Mexico
Habitat
• Streams, ponds, lakes,
marshes, sloughs
• Home range within
200 yards of den
• Average 1 Ondatra
zibethicus per 15 acres
• Modify habitat
Diet
• Omnivore
• Plants, stems, leaves,
bulbs, roots of aquatic
plants, fish, frogs,
crayfish, snails
• Nocturnal feeder of
aquatic plants
• Feeding huts
• Swim and forage under ice
Reproduction
•
•
•
•
•
•
Polygamous
Breed March- July
2-4 litters
2-9 young per litter
Gestation 29-31 days
8 weeks weaned from
mother
Reproduction continued
• Conical dens of
aquatic plants and mud
• Built in shallow water,
islands, or along banks
• Bank burrows
• Smaller den than
beaver
Conservation Status
• Abundant
Other…
• Valuable furbear
• >1 million hunted for pelts
in North central states
each winter
• Pelt=$5
• Territioral, vicious fighter
• Swim submerged for 15
min
• Swim up to 3mph
Other continued
• Swim backwards
• Digging weakens dams
• Predators: mink, raptors, snapping turtles, fox, and
coyote
References
Jones, J.K, Jr. and E.C. Birney. 1988. Handbook of Mammals of the North-Central
States. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis
Kays, R.W. and D.E. Wilson. 2002. The Mammals of North America. Princeton
University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Available at
http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/wildlife/factsheets/muskrat.htm
http://www.images.google.com
http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/muskrat.htm
Synaptomys cooperi
Southern Bog Lemming
• ID: smaller than voles; similar
to Northern species, but with
dark brown above & pale gray
underside; relatively large head,
with small ears concealed by
fur; 6 mammae; TL usually
115-140mm
• Distribution: statewide, with
possible exception of extreme
northwestern IA
– Largely abundant in higher
altitudes
– When populations are high,
they move to drier habitats
http://www.glfc.forestry.ca/landscape/picgallery_e.html
Synaptomys cooperi
• Habitat: variety, includingclearings in woodlands,
grasslands, mixed
deciduous/coniferous
woodlands, spruce-fir forests
and freshwater wetlands
– Use runways built by other
mictrotines
– Nests built of shredded
vegetation along trails and
often built underground
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/.../ view.html
Synaptomys cooperi
• Diet: primarily plant material,
leafy parts of sedges, fruits,
rootlets, mosses, ferns and bark
• Reproduction: breeding
restricted to warmer months;
gestation lasts 21-23 days; litter
size usually 3-4; newborns
pink, except for light gray
dorsum
– Development: fur-7 days;
lower incisors-6 to 8 days;
eyes open-10 to 11 days
– Longevity about 1 year
http://www.dlia.org/atbi/species/animals/vertebrates/mammals/muridael
Synaptomys cooperi
• Conservation status: threatened
statewide
• Other:
– Even though called “bog”
lemming, seldom found near
bogs
– Primarily nocturnal & active
all year
– Bright green feces in runways
signal presence
– Predators include: foxes,
coyotes, weasels, badgers,
owls, snakes and others
– Parasites include: fleas, mites,
ticks and others
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site//resources/mzm2/33.mr2.jpg/view.html
References
•
•
•
•
•
Animal Diversity Web. Southern Bog Lemming. Available at
http://animaldiveristy.ummz.edu. October 2004
ENature. Southern Bog Lemming. Available at
http://www.enature.com/search/show_search/South_Bog_Lemming.
October 2004
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa’s threatened and
endangered
species. Available at
http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/ppd/tespecies.htm. October
2004
Jones, J.K, Jr. and E.C. Birney, 1998. Handbook of Mammals of Northcentral States. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
Kays, R.W. and D.E. Wilson. 2002. Then Mammals of North America.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey