Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of mouse-like

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw. There are five toes to all the feet, but the first in the fore-feet is rudimentary, and furnished with a flat nail. The tail makes up about 60% of its body length and is used to gain balance while jumping. The cheeks have pouches. The

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

jumping "yeti" mouse ('' Eozapus setchuanus'') from China can be identified by the ‘Y’ marking on its belly. Jumping mice live in wooded areas, grassy fields and alpine meadows. When disturbed, they can leap eight to ten feet at a time, diminishing to three to four as they widen the gap between them and any pursuer. They are nocturnal and generally live alone. Nests are often found in clefts of rocks, among timber, or in hollow trees. Typically, they will have two to three litters per year.

Taxonomy

Formerly classified in the subfamily Zapodinae alongside the birch mice and

jerboa Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls (''A ...

s within the greater family

Dipodidae Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls ('' ...

, phylogenetic analysis has found the jumping mice, birch mice, and jerboas to each form their own family, with Dipodidae being restricted to the jerboas. All three families are thought to belong to the greater superfamily

Dipodoidea Dipodoidea is a Superfamily (biology), superfamily of Rodent, rodents, also known as dipodoids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. This superfamily includes over 50 species among the 16 genera in 3 families. They include the Jerboa, jerboas (f ...

Classification

There are 11 recent species listed by the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...

as of 2021. Family Zapodidae, jumping mice *Genus '' Eozapus'' ** Chinese jumping mouse, ''Eozapus setchuanus'' *Genus '' Napaeozapus'' ** Western woodland jumping mouse, ''Napaeozapus abietorum'' ** Eastern woodland jumping mouse, ''Napaeozapus insignis'' *Genus ''

Zapus ''Zapus'' is a genus of North American jumping mice, jumping mouse. It is the only genus whose members have the dental formula . ''Zapus'' are the only extant mammals aside from the Aye-aye with a total of 18 teeth. This genus was first separate ...

'' ** Northern meadow jumping mouse, ''Zapus hudsonius'' ** Southern meadow jumping mouse, ''Zapus luteus'' ** Central Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus montanus'' ** Oregon jumping mouse, ''Zapus oregonus'' ** South Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus pacificus'' ** Southwestern jumping mouse, ''Zapus princeps'' ** Northwestern jumping mouse, ''Zapus saltator'' ** North Pacific jumping mouse, ''Zapus trinotatus''

Fossil genera

In addition, four fossil genera are also definitively known: * Genus †'' Javazapus'' * Genus †'' Pliozapus'' * Genus †'' Sinozapus'' *Genus †'' Sminthozapus''

References

Zapodidae Rodent families Dipodoid rodents Taxa named by Elliott Coues Extant Miocene first appearances {{rodent-stub

Taxonomy

Classification

Fossil genera

See also

References