Yellow-necked mouse
Yellow-necked mouse | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Apodemus |
Species: | A. flavicollis
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Binomial name | |
Apodemus flavicollis (
Melchior , 1834) | |
Synonyms | |
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The yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), also called yellow-necked field mouse, yellow-necked wood mouse, and South China field mouse,
Taxonomy
Apodemus ponticus is probably a synonym of Apodemus flavicollis. The former is found in the former Soviet Union with the boundary between the two being the political boundary between Russia and Western Europe. For many years direct comparison of the two species was not possible because of political tensions but it is now accepted that they are in reality the same species.[3]
Description
The yellow-necked mouse is very similar to the wood mouse but differs in having a slightly longer tail and larger ears, and a complete band of yellow fur across the neck area.[4] The adult head and body length is 3.5 to 5.25 inches (89–133 mm) with a tail about as long again, and the weight varies between 1 and 1.5 ounces (28–43 g). The upperparts are brownish-grey, a rather more brown shade than the wood mouse. The underparts are white and there is a sharp demarcation line between the two colours. This mouse gets its common name from the ochre-coloured patch of fur between its forelegs but this is often inconspicuous. The upperside of juveniles is a rather paler shade of greyish-brown than the adults.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The yellow-necked mouse is native to Europe and western Asia.[6] Its range includes the more mountainous parts of Western Europe with the exception of northern Scandinavia, southern Spain and western France. This mouse occurs in Great Britain but not in Ireland, and it is also absent from a number of Mediterranean islands. In Asia, its range extends eastward to the Ural Mountains and it is also found in Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. It is mostly a woodland species, often living near the forest verge, but in mountainous regions, it occupies any part of the forest. It is usually found in mature deciduous woodland is also found in scrubby areas, hedgerows, orchards and plantations. It favours areas where there are large, nut-bearing trees such as the oak and the hazel.[3] It is also found in parks and gardens and beside alder-fringed streams.[5]
Behaviour
The yellow-necked mouse is active all year round and does not hibernate. Sometimes several mice will huddle together during the winter to preserve heat.
The yellow-necked mouse is nocturnal. It is active on the ground and in the tree canopy and has a home range rather smaller than half a hectare. Besides nuts, it feeds on buds, shoots, fruit, seedling plants and sometimes small invertebrates. Breeding takes place at any time between February and October with successive pregnancies occurring at short intervals. The gestation period is about twenty six days and females can remate while still feeding the previous litter. A litter of young is born in a nesting chamber lined with dry plant material and consists of two to eleven (usually five)
The yellow-necked mouse is preyed on by owls, foxes, weasels and other predators. It can leap to evade attackers and the skin of its tail is readily detachable and slides off if grasped by a predator.[7]
Research
It has been found that the yellow-necked mouse can transmit the virus causing
Status
The yellow-necked mouse has a very wide range and is common in suitable habitat within that range. In Eastern Europe, densities of up to a hundred individuals per hectare have been recorded. The population is stable and this species faces no specific threats so the
References
- . Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-444-51877-4.
- ^ . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Species – Yellow Necked Mouse". Dorset, England: The Mammal Society. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-00-212080-7.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c "Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ^ a b "Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis)". Species factsheet. The Mammal Society. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- JSTOR 3544056.
- PMID 9300045.
- PMID 16597913.
- PMID 11170053.