金刺鼠

哺乳动物物种

金刺鼠(学名:Acomys russatus)得名于其橙红色的有刺毛皮,覆盖牠们从头到尾的身体。这些粗糙、 This coarse, 毛皮 is thought to protect it from 可保护牠免于被敌人捕食[2]

金刺鼠
科学分类 编辑
界: 动物界 Animalia
门: 脊索动物门 Chordata
纲: 哺乳纲 Mammalia
目: 啮齿目 Rodentia
科: 鼠科 Muridae
属: 非洲刺毛鼠属 Acomys
种:
金刺鼠 A. russatus
二名法
Acomys russatus
(Wagner英语Johann Andreas Wagner, 1840)
异名
  • Acomys lewisi

形态描述

除了头部和身体上截有金色的皮毛覆盖,其胁腹呈黄色、底部苍白。腿灰色,但脚浅色、脚掌黑色[2]。尾巴呈鳞状。金刺鼠的平均体重约54.4公克重[3],而雄鼠体重一般比雌鼠重[2]。亦有指称本物种双眼底下皆有一颗白点[4]。金刺鼠在野外常被发现其尾巴的部分或整条失去,相信是因由于金刺鼠一种我们至今尚未了解的防御机制,让牠们透过牺牲尾巴来逃脱[5]。牠们在野外的平均寿命是三年。杂食性动物,以种子、沙漠植物、蜗牛及昆虫为食。 栖息于荒漠地区,金刺鼠是耐旱英语xeric的动物,牠们能够从所吃的植物中获取水分,并产生非常浓的尿液以节约其水分的消耗[2]。金刺鼠天生是夜行动物,但当牠们要与开罗刺鼠共享栖息地时,会适应日行生活。

亚种

  • Acomys russatus lewisi Atallah, 1967[6]

环境

金刺鼠栖息于干燥及炎热的沙漠,而这种环境无论在埃及还是中东(包括约旦、以色列、阿曼、沙特阿拉伯及也门)皆很常见。金刺鼠的栖息地被限制于上述地区,是因为以牠们的体型作比较,金刺鼠的新陈代谢速率较其他近似大小的动物为慢[7],因此当处身于温度较凉的环境(跌至摄氏度18度以下)时,牠们难以维持体温至可存活的水平[8];相反地,金刺鼠能够忍耐高温,已知可在高达摄氏度42.5度的环境中仍然存活。金刺鼠并没有热中性区英语thermal neutral zone,但在处身摄氏度30度时,身体的耗氧度最低[7]。然而,one population was found in the high summits of the mountains in southern Sinai where the temperature falls well below this threshold and there is often snow in the winter.[8]
A. russatus is also very good at conserving the little water it gets from its diet of insects and plants. It does this by producing extremely concentrated urine with 尿素 content up to 4800 mM and 氯化物 concentration up to 1500 mM. This means that it could survive drinking 海水, which is very rare in mammals.[7]

繁殖

金刺鼠的繁殖模式属于机会繁殖者英语opportunistic breeder[9]:意即牠们的繁殖行为并不受季节变化影响,如同其他非洲刺毛鼠属物种一样并没有交配季节,而是可于一整年任何时候交配。牠们在出生后约91天就已达至性成熟。每只雌鼠平均每年可产2.5胎,而两胎之间会有34天的“空窗期”[3]。作为一种胎生动物,金刺鼠的妊娠期约五至六星期,每胎可产1–5只小鼠[2]。每一胎小鼠的断奶期需时两星期 [3]。当降雨减少,牠们所进食的食物的盐分浓度会增加,使无论雄鼠或雌鼠的繁殖能力都有负面影响[10][11]

参考文献

  1. ^ Scott, D.; Shenbrot, G. & Amr, Z. Acomys russatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008 [2009-02-04]. 
  2. ^ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Golden Spiny Mouse (Acomys russatus). [2012-12-28]. (原始内容存档于2012-04-14) (英语). 
  3. ^ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus) longevity, ageing, and life history. Genomics.senescence.info. 2012-09-17 [2020-10-30]. (原始内容存档于2020-11-02) (英语). 
  4. ^ Hoath, R. A. (2004) Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo and New York ISBN 9774248090
  5. ^ Shargal, Eyal; Rath-Wolfson, Lea; Kronfeld, Noga; Dayan, Tamar. Ecological and histological aspects of tail loss in spiny mice (Rodentia: Muridae, Acomys) with a review of its occurrence in rodents. Journal of Zoology. 1999, 249 (2): 187–193 [2020-10-30]. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb00757.x. (原始内容存档于2016-03-05) (英语). 
  6. ^ Zuhair S. Amr, Mohammad A. Abu Baker, Mazin Qumsiyeh and Ehab Eid. 2018. Systematics, Distribution and Ecological Analysis of Rodents in Jordan. Zootaxa. 4397(1); 1-94. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4397.1.1
  7. ^ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Shkolnik, Amiram; Borut, Arieh. Temperature and Water Relations in Two Species of Spiny Mice (Acomys). Journal of Mammalogy. 1969, 50 (2): 245. JSTOR 1378340. doi:10.2307/1378340 (英语). 
  8. ^ 8.0 8.1 Haim, A.; Borut, A. Size and Activity of the Cold Resistant Population of the Golden Spiny Mouse. [[Mammalia (期刊)|]]. 2009, 39 (4). doi:10.1515/mamm.1975.39.4.605 (英语). 
  9. ^ 张钧翔. 台灣中部錢鼠(Suncus murinus)生殖生物學之研究. 东海大学生物学研究所硕士论文 (台湾博硕士论文知识加值系统). 1992: 48 (中文). 
  10. ^ Shanas, U.; Haim, A. Diet salinity and vasopressin as reproduction modulators in the desert-dwelling golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus). Physiology and Behavior. 2004, 81 (4): 645–50 [2020-10-30]. PMID 15178158. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.03.002. (原始内容存档于2020-11-02). 
  11. ^ Wube, Tilaye; Haim, Abraham; Fares, Fuad. Effect of increased dietary salinity on the reproductive status and energy intake of xeric and mesic populations of the spiny mouse, Acomys. Physiology & Behavior. 2009, 96: 122–127. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.09.006.