Long-tailed birch mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long-tailed birch mouse |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sicista
|
| Species: |
caudata
|
The long-tailed birch mouse (Sicista caudata) is a small rodent. It is a type of birch mouse. This mouse lives in parts of Northeast Asia. You can find it in places like the Ussuri region and Sakhalin Island in Russia. It also lives in northern North Korea and Manchuria. Scientists don't know much about this mouse. So, it's listed as 'data deficient' by the IUCN.
Contents
What Does the Long-Tailed Birch Mouse Look Like?
This mouse is about 67 millimeters long. That's about 2.6 inches. Its tail is very long. It can be almost twice as long as its body!
Its fur on its back is light grayish-brown. It has a bit of yellow color. Along its spine, there are longer hairs. These hairs have black tips. They form a dark stripe down its back. The fur on its sides is lighter. It looks yellowish-brown. Its belly is grayish creamy-white. The tail is a light yellowish-gray color.
Where Does the Long-Tailed Birch Mouse Live?
The long-tailed birch mouse lives in northeastern China. It also lives in the Ussuri region of Russia. You can also find it on Sakhalin Island.
This mouse likes different kinds of places. It lives in mountain forests called taiga. It can be found in forests with pine trees. It also lives in mixed forests. These forests have both pine trees and other types of trees. Sometimes, it lives in open grasslands too.
How Does the Long-Tailed Birch Mouse Behave?
Scientists don't know a lot about how this mouse lives. We do know some interesting things.
It sleeps for a long time in winter. This is called hibernation. It hibernates for at least six months. It builds its nest from grass. The nest is shaped like a woven ball. It hides its nest in cracks in the ground or in bushes.
A mother mouse usually has four to six babies at a time. This birch mouse eats green plants and berries. But it mostly eats seeds. It is most active at night. During the day, it rests in a shallow burrow.
Why Is This Mouse "Data Deficient"?
The long-tailed birch mouse lives in a wide area. Some of these areas are protected. This means they are safe places for animals.
However, scientists don't know much about this mouse. It seems to be uncommon. But it might be more common than we think. We don't know if its numbers are going up or down. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed it as "data deficient". This means we need more information to know its true status.
