Chinese zokor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chinese zokor |
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Eospalax
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| Species: |
fontanierii
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The Chinese zokor (Eospalax fontanierii) is a type of rodent that lives underground. It belongs to the Spalacidae family. This animal is found only in China. Its home stretches from Qinghai Province all the way east to Beijing. It lives in grasslands and mountain meadows.
A scientist named Henri Milne-Edwards first described the Chinese zokor in 1867. In the 1990s, efforts to control them in Qinghai Province caused their numbers to drop a lot. However, the Chinese zokor is still quite common. The IUCN says it is a species of Least Concern. This means it is not currently in danger.
An adult zokor usually weighs about 256 grams (9 ounces). Newborn zokors are very tiny, weighing only about 9 grams (0.3 ounces).
Contents
What Does a Chinese Zokor Look Like?
The Chinese zokor is a medium-sized rodent. It has a strong, stocky body built for digging. Its tail is very short and shaped like a cone. From head to body, it measures between 155 and 245 millimeters (6 to 9.6 inches). Its tail is about 40 to 62 millimeters (1.6 to 2.4 inches) long. A zokor can weigh from 150 to 620 grams (5.3 to 21.9 ounces).
Their fur is soft and thick. It even covers their eyes and tiny ears. You might notice a white patch on their forehead. Their upper fur is a dark reddish-brown. Each hair has a greyish-black base. Their underside is greyish-black with reddish-brown tips on the hairs. Their tail has only a few hairs.
Chinese zokors have special features that help them dig. They have large front teeth (incisors) to loosen soil. Their back teeth (molars) grow all their life. This is because they eat tough plants. Their front paws are like spades with long, curved claws. These are perfect for digging tunnels.
Where Do Chinese Zokors Live?
This animal lives only in central and eastern China. You can find them in many provinces. These include Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing.
They live in many different places. These include steppes (large grasslands), bushy areas, and mountain pastures. They also live in meadows, farms, and even along roads. In the Tibetan steppe, they share their home with other digging animals. These include the plateau pika and different types of voles.
How Do Chinese Zokors Live?
Chinese zokors live alone underground. They dig huge tunnel systems. You can tell they are around by the mounds of dirt they push to the surface. Close to the surface, they dig feeding tunnels. These tunnels let them reach the roots and stems they eat.
Deeper underground, they have living tunnels. These include large rooms for storing food and cozy nesting chambers. Their tunnels can stretch up to 100 meters (330 feet) long! They are often 25 to 48 centimeters (10 to 19 inches) deep. Sometimes they are much deeper. Zokors can store a lot of food. They have been found with up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of plants in their burrows. But usually, they store about a tenth of that amount. They love to eat the underground parts of plants. They also eat many kinds of roots and shoots from grasses, herbs, and small bushes.
Zokors are busy all year long. Even when it's very cold above ground, the temperature in their burrows stays steady. So, Chinese zokors do not hibernate in winter. They just slow down a bit. In spring, male zokors dig their tunnels longer. They meet and mate with females when their tunnels cross. A female might mate with more than one male.
Females have one litter of babies each year. They usually have two or three young, but sometimes one to five. More female babies are born than males. The mother feeds her babies milk for about 50 days.
Chinese Zokors and Their Environment
The digging of zokors has a big effect on their environment. When they dig, they loosen the soil. This can damage plant roots and stems. It can also reduce the total amount of plant life in an area. The mounds of soil they bring up can cover plants. But these mounds also create new places for other plants to grow. The deep soil brought to the surface might have fewer nutrients. This means that areas with zokors for a long time might have less plant growth than areas without them.
In the past, people tried to get rid of zokors in Qinghai Province by poisoning them. This had bad effects on the environment. Now, scientists understand that the Chinese zokor is an ecosystem engineer. This means they change their environment in important ways. They help keep the land healthy and stable.
These animals are a key part of the food chain. If they disappear, it can affect many other animals. They also help loosen and aerate the soil. This helps the soil hold water better and stops it from washing away.
What is the Zokor's Status?
The Chinese zokor is a common animal. It lives in a large area and has many individuals. There are no major threats to this animal right now. It also lives in several protected areas. It can even handle some changes to its habitat.
In Qinghai Province, people once saw them as a pest. Their numbers there went down. But overall, any drop in their total population is likely small. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says the zokor's conservation status is "least concern". This means they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
