Earth hare. Earth hare: description, lifestyle and habitat See what the "Earth hare" is in other dictionaries
B large jerboa, or earthen hare- the largest representative of five-toed jerboas: body length 190-250 mm, length of the back foot 85-93 mm, condylobasalskull length 40-47 mm. The head is relatively short and broad. The muzzle is elongated, somewhat flattened in front, the ears are long, the hind limbs are five-fingered, there are no brushes on them, a “banner” is well expressed at the end of the tail; the black part of the banner on the lower surface is not interrupted along the tail shaft by a white stripe.
There is no white ring ahead of the black part of the "banner"; the black part of the banner on the lower surface is usually not interrupted along the tail shaft by a white stripe.
The general tone of the back color varies in different geographical forms from brownish-gray to pale sandy-gray; the ventral side and the inside of the legs are white; in the back of the body on the thighs there is a sharply defined wide white stripe on the underside, going to the base of the tail. The outer thighs are rusty-yellow. The edges of the sole of the hind foot are covered with black-brown hair. The tail to the main part of the banner is light rusty-brown; the main part of the banner is black, the end is white.
The longitudinal groove on the upper side of the penis reaches only its middle and branches into two grooves diverging at an angle; its upper surface usually has about 60 small spines. The anterior upper premolar (P4) is 2-3 times smaller than the last molar (M3). The anterior parts of the zygomatic arches (when the skull is viewed from above) depart almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the skull.
Distributed in the zone of forest-steppe, steppe and semi-desert of the European part of the USSR, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan - to the west to the Krivoy Rog region of the Dnepropetrovsk region, to the east to Novosibirsk and Barnaul. Approximate northern border: the rivers Desna, Oka, Kama, Belaya, Verkhneuralsk, Troitsk, Chelyabinsk, Shadrinsk, Kurgan, Omsk, with. Horde Novosibirsk region. Southern border: the lower reaches of the Dnieper, the steppes of Crimea, the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, the foothills of the Caucasus Range, the northern coast of the Caspian Sea, the northern Ust-Urt, the river. Syr-Darya, Chimkent city, Dzhambul city, Almaty region, lake. Zaisan, foothills of Altai. Finds of the Pleistocene age are known from different places in the European part of the range from the region of the lower reaches of the Urals to the Kama region in the east and from the southern steppe Crimea to the Chernigov region in the west.
The large jerboa inhabits mainly semi-deserts and deserts, with the exception of sandy ones. In areas with dense soil and sparse vegetation, it is widely distributed in the steppe zone (especially west of the Volga River), and also penetrates into the forest-steppe and southern part taiga zone of Western Siberia. Here he settles on the slopes of the beams of river valleys, along roadsides, on borders and pastures. In the mountains - up to 1100 m above sea level. m. (northern Kyrgyzstan).
During the Pleistocene, at least two forms of this species lived here, but their elucidation requires a detailed comparative study of the bones of the skeleton of the limbs, since the remains of the skull, like in other jerboas, are usually not preserved. Outside the modern range, only one locality is known - in the Upper Pleistocene asphalts of the Apsheron Peninsula.
The large jerboa is found in a variety of habitats - from the meadow steppe in the north of the range to the outlying parts of the clay desert - in the south. In the steppe and forest steppe zones settles mainly on denser soils with a low sparse grass cover - on pastures, slopes of beams, along roadsides, etc. Burrows have 1-2 emergency exits, and one of them is often not brought 2-5 cm to the surface and is easily broken through by the animal when it unexpectedly pops out through that exit.
The earth hare is active from sunset to dawn; most of the animals come to the surface 30-40 minutes after sunset and go into burrows, depending on the time of year and latitude, 20 minutes -1.5 hours before sunrise. The animals that have come to the surface first of all begin to satisfy their hunger and, after saturation, they begin to run and play. Inclement weather somewhat reduces the activity of animals, but even in strong wind and rain, you can observe grazing earth hares. Slowly moving during feeding, the animal lowers the front part of the body low, so that the front legs almost touch the ground. From time to time, the rodent stretches upward, rising on long hind legs ah, it moves its big ears a little noticeably. At this moment, he especially resembles a miniature hare. If you are careful not to sudden movements, then you can come very close to a feeding large jerboa. Frightened, he jumps back several meters and freezes in a tense pose, leaning on his tail, and the disturbed one again flies away with long "flat" jumps. A rodent pursued by a car can reach speeds of up to forty kilometers per hour and can run in this mode for about two kilometers.
Among the burrows, the following categories can be outlined: 1) permanent burrows with a chamber, a passage clogged with earth and 1-2 emergency exits closed with earth plugs; 2) temporary daytime burrows, which have a simpler device and a shallower depth (20-35 cm), and the chamber and the part of the passage clogged with earth are absent; 3) temporary night burrows, representing a short straight channel with an open hole; 4) winter burrows, which differ from other types mainly in greater depth (up to 2 m or more). The outlet of permanent burrows is most often clogged with an earthen plug. Temporary burrows are shallow, simpler structure, in the form of an open passage going obliquely underground, at the end with or without a camera. Temporary burrows can be rebuilt by animals into permanent ones, and summer ones into wintering ones.
In the lower Volga region, they hibernate at the onset of the first night frosts, awaken in late March - early April.
Mating occurs shortly after awakening (March-April); in each litter 1-4 cubs. Since large jerboas develop slowly, the mass resettlement of young ones is observed no earlier than the second half of June.
The large jerboa feeds mainly on seeds, roots and basal parts, bulbs and tubers; when eating seeds, it cleans them from the shell, even in those cases when they are very small. With the onset of seed maturation, the latter become the main food. They also partially feed on insects. When digging out the underground parts of plants, it leaves characteristic pits ("kopanki"). Sometimes they also partially feed on insects (Fenyuk, 1928, 1929).
In some areas (Lower Volga region, Kazakhstan), a large jerboa harms by eating sown seeds of watermelons, melons and pumpkins. After the ripening of the bread, in some places it harms by eating grains, it also eats sunflower seeds, peas and lentils. Damage was also noted to the rubber plant tau-saghyz (eating seeds and seedlings). In the twenties and thirties, these jerboas were mined for the sake of a beautiful skin. However, the very fragile core of the skins of earthen hares "saved" them from systematic fishing. Noted as a natural carrier of plague pathogens.
Geographic variation and subspecies. The color of the upper part towards the south is lighter, brighter, reddish tones appear in it; at the same time, the area occupied by the black part of the "banner" decreases.
6 subspecies have been described.
Literature:
1. Mammals of the USSR. Reference-determinant of the geographer and traveller. V.E. Flint, Yu.D. Chugunov, V.M. Smirin. Moscow, 1965
2. Rodents of the fauna of the USSR. Moscow, 1952
3. Fokin I. M. Jerboas. Series: The life of our birds and animals. Issue 2. Publishing house Leningrad. un-ta, 1978. 184 p.
4. Mammals of the fauna of the USSR. Part 1. Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Moscow-Leningrad, 1963
5. B.S. Vinogradov. Jerboas. Mammals vol. III, no. 4. Fauna of the USSR. Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1937
EARTH HARE
(Alactaga jaculus Brd.) ? one of the species of the jerboa family (Dipodidae), a detachment of rodents (Rodentia). In the genus Alactaga, unlike other genera of this family, the hind legs have 4-5 fingers, but only three middle fingers, metatarsalia (metarsus bones) of which are fused together, touch the ground. The Z. hare has 5-toed hind legs and is 4 times as long as the front legs. The ears are the same length as the head. On the sides of the upper lip long hair(whiskers), located in 8 longitudinal rows on each side. The upper side of the body is yellow-gray, the lower and inner surface is almost white color. The tail is reddish-yellow, the brush at its end is black at the base, at the top? white. Body length 18 cm, tail 26 cm. Found in the steppes of southern and southeastern Russia, in the steppes of Western Siberia and the Caspian; to the north does not go further than 52¦ s. sh. It does not occur in loose sands. Z. hares live in small communities; the day is spent in burrows, from which they emerge only at dusk. When a Z. hare grazes, it rests on four legs; during the flight, which he turns to at the slightest danger, he rides on his hind legs alone, making huge leaps and constantly changing direction. Underground burrows in which they live in 2-3 pairs together are quite extensive; the main passage, often divided into branches, leads to the central chamber, connected to the side ones. From this chamber there is a deaf passage, ending near the surface of the earth. Pursued in the hole, Z. the hare jumps out through this deaf passage, breaking its cover. Z. hare eats plants. In summer, the female throws 5-6 cubs in a hole. In September, Z. hares clog the exit from their hole and, curled up in several pieces together into a ball, fall into hibernation, from which they emerge in April. Other closely related species in Asia and Africa. ? See jerboas.
Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron. 2012
See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is EARTH HARE in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:
- EARTH HARE in big Soviet encyclopedia, TSB:
hare, large jerboa (Allactaga major), a mammal of the jerboa family of the order ... - EARTH HARE
(Alactaga jaculus Brd.) is one of the species of the jerboa family (Dipodidae), the order of rodents (Rodentia). In the genus Alactaga, unlike others ... - HARE in the Dictionary of Automotive Jargon:
- … - HARE in the Dictionary of thieves' jargon:
- 1) drunk, 2) ... - HARE in the Directory of Constellations, Latin names.
- HARE in the Bible Encyclopedia of Nicephorus:
(Lev 11:6, Deut 14:7) according to Heb arnebeth) - a four-legged animal from the category of rodents, according to the law of Moses, belongs to the category of unclean ... - HARE in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
(lat. Lepus) the constellation of the South ... - HARE V encyclopedic dictionary Brockhaus and Euphron.
- HARE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, hare, m. 1. An animal of the order of rodents, with long ears and strong hind legs, as well as its fur. Cowardly as... - EARTH
EARTH CITY, ist. area of Moscow, surrounding the White City. Includes Zamoskvorechye. It was limited by an earthen rampart with trees. wall and towers (built ... - HARE in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
Hare (lat. Lepus), constellation South. … - EARTH
earthy "th, earthling" i, earthly "e, earthlings" e, earthy "go, earthy" th, earthy "go, earthlings" x, earthy "mu, earthy" th, earthy "mu, earthlings" m, earthy " th, earthling "yu, earthling" e, earthlings "e, earthling" th, earthling "yu, earthling" e, earthlings "x, ... - HARE in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, for the eggs, ... - HARE in the Dictionary of Epithets:
Fast, racing, oblique (nar.-poet), seasoned, shy, frisky, timid, hasty, cowardly, gray, sensitive, ... - HARE in the Dictionary for solving and compiling scanwords:
Mower ... - EARTH in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language.
- HARE in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
agouti, stowaway, hare, rodent, animal, hare, bunny, bunny, hare, hare, hare, hare, oblique, mammal, hare, grey, … - EARTH
adj. 1) Related by value. with noun: earth (1*1.5), associated with it. 2) Peculiar to the earth (1 * 1.5), characteristic of it. 3) ... - HARE in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
m. 1) a) A small shy animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. b) Fur, the skin of such an animal. … - EARTH in the Dictionary of the Russian language Lopatin.
- HARE in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Lopatin:
hare, hare, tv. zaytsem, r. pl. zaytsev, but: g`od Z`ayts (according to Eastern calendar), Z`ayats, Z`aytsa (about who was born in ... - EARTH in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language.
- HARE in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
hare, hare, tv hare, r. pl. hares, but: the year of the Hare (according to the eastern calendar), Hare, Hare (about who was born in ... - EARTH in the Spelling Dictionary.
- HARE in the Spelling Dictionary:
hare, hare, tv. zaytsem, r. pl. zaytsev, but: year of the zaytsa (according to the eastern calendar), zayats, zaytsa (about who was born in ... - HARE in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
Colloq is a stowaway, and also a spectator who has entered somewhere without a ticket, a hare! animal of the rodent detachment, with long ears and strong ... - HARE in the Dahl Dictionary:
(according to Pavsky hare) husband. the generic name of the animal, from the category of rodents, Lepus; bonfire quickly, pitch. , eagle. vytorp, orenb. , Tatars. … - HARE in Modern explanatory dictionary, TSB:
(lat. Lepus), the constellation of the South ... - EARTH
earthy, earthy. 1. App. to ground 1 to 4 digits Excavation. 2. From the earth. Earth embankment. Earth dam. 3. … - HARE in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
hare, m. 1. Mammal from the order of rodents. Hunting for hares. || Roast from this animal. Today we have the second... - EARTH
earth adj. 1) Related by value. with noun: earth (1*1.5), associated with it. 2) Peculiar to the earth (1 * 1.5), characteristic of it. … - HARE in the Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova:
hare m. 1) a) A small shy animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. b) Fur, the skin of such ... - EARTH
adj. 1. ratio with noun. earth I 1., 5., associated with it 2. Peculiar to the earth [land I 1., 5.], characteristic ... - HARE in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
m. 1. A small shy animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. ott. The fur of such an animal. ott. unfold … - EARTH
adj. 1. ratio with noun. earth I 1., 5., associated with it 2. Peculiar to the earth [earth I 1., 5.], ... - HARE in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
I m. 1. A small shy animal with long hind legs, long ears and a short tail. 2. The fur of such an animal. ott. … - PEANUTS, OR GROUND NUTS in the Book of Tasty and Healthy Food:
Peanut, or, as it is also called, earthen or Chinese nut, is an annual, herbaceous branching plant from the legume family. It is cultivated... - EARTH ALMOND in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(Cyperus esculentus L.) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the rush family (Cyperaceae DC., C.), remarkable in the sense that on thin ... - HARE, ANIMAL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
Hare (zool.) - see Hares. A hare is an enemy of agriculture and forestry. It eats during the growth of cabbage plants, rape, rapeseed, ... - EARTH ALMOND
(Cyperus esculentus L.) ? herbaceous perennial plant from the rush family (Cyperaceae DC., C.), remarkable in the sense that on thin ... - HARE, MAMMALS OF RODENT ORDER in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
Hare (zool.) ? see Hares. Hare? enemy of agriculture and forestry. It eats during the growth of cabbage plants, rapeseed, ... - WOW, TALKING FISH! in the Quote Wiki:
Data: 2009-05-14 Time: 18:56:17 * My grandfather says: "do good and throw it into the water." * Exactly at midnight, I will come ... - WAIT FOR IT! in the Quote Wiki:
Data: 2009-08-14 Time: 17:10:03 = Issue 1 = = Issue 2 = *— Bunny, Bunny, can you hear me? - I hear... - 45-TRL in the Directory of routes of buses, trolleybuses and trams of Moscow:
Trolleybuses Elokhovskaya Square - 4th Cable Street Elokhovskaya Square, Pl. Walk around, st. A. Lukyanova - School of Watercolor, Bauman Garden, Pl. … - HALF EARTH in the Ethnographic Dictionary:
a building partially sunk into the ground, often with an earthen roof. see also valkaran, earthen house, caradam... - HALF EARTH in the Dictionary of Ethnographic Terms:
a building partially sunk into the ground, often with an earthen roof. See also VALKARAN, EARTH HOUSE, … - VASILY THE GENEROUS, OR NEW YEAR'S TABLE in the Dictionary of Rites and Sacraments:
Vasily Shchedry, or New Year's table The evening before the New Year - the evening of Basil of Caesarea - was not accidentally received by the northwestern Slavs ... - ANTICHRIST in the Literary Encyclopedia:
opponent or enemy of Christ, deceitfully impersonating him (the preposition "anti" in conjunction with other words usually has the meaning "against", ...
The large jerboa is a peculiar kind of animal from the jerboa family. Its body length is about 22 cm. It belongs to a number of rodents, but appearance and for internal structure stands out in a separate group of five-fingered earthen hares. In the structure of an earthen hare, the most characteristic are a short body, a large head with a blunt muzzle, large rounded ears, bent up to the end of the muzzle, large round eyes and long mustaches - vibrissae. This animal has very developed hearing and sense of touch and exceptional gloomy vision, which are necessary for him while looking for food and protection from enemies at night. Large jerboas move remarkably only on their hind legs, in connection with which they developed very specialized features: their hind legs are long, strong, their feet are elongated 10 cm long, and the lateral fingers (1st and 5th) are poorly developed and not very strong. up to three averages. Such a peculiar structure of the hind legs is an adaptation to movement only by jumping. The front paws of the earthen hare are short. With them, he captures and holds food, to some extent digs holes, in which these animals have achieved exceptional skill. The long, thin tail exceeds the length of the body, ending in a wide brush, as if combed on both sides, the tail ensures the balance of the body during jumps, especially when the animal turns sharply or jumps quickly. The color of the hairline of large jerboas is brownish-gray on top with a rusty tint. The throat, chest and belly are white. The tail brush is bright white with a black base.
Jerboas are distributed mainly in the forest-steppe and steppe zones on the Left Bank of Ukraine, penetrate south to the coasts of the Black and Seas of Azov. There are very few in the right-bank regions of Ukraine; western limit their distribution. They live most often on cultivated lands, paths, pastures, adapting to a wide variety of soil conditions. They avoid only well loosened, cultivated lands.
It is very difficult to meet a hare jerboa in nature. These are typically nocturnal animals that appear on the surface of the earth only after sunset, with the onset of complete darkness. During the day they sleep soundly, well camouflaged in their peculiarly constructed burrows with a rather complex arrangement. Burrows are torn out mainly with teeth - long incisors, with which they loosen the soil. The front paws serve them mainly for raking the already loosening soil. There are several types of jerboa burrows: permanent, temporary, nocturnal and winter; where they hibernate. The simplest temporary holes. They begin with a vertical long passage, which ends dully at a depth of about 80 cm, without a nesting chamber. Such burrows are built in case of danger. In the life of earth hares, this type of burrow was of great importance, because earth hares in search of food will often walk far from their permanent holes, and these temporary holes are a reliable refuge. All types of burrows of earthen hares differ from burrows of other rodents of the fauna of Ukraine in that they are not outwardly noticeable, because their inlets are clogged from the inside. They are open only in temporary burrows.
Earthen hares feed almost exclusively on plant foods - juicy roots and bulbs that are dug out of the soil, weed seeds - wheatgrass, quinoa, etc. The favorite food of these rodents are watermelons, melons, pumpkins. Only occasionally do they consume insects and their larvae, but they do not play a significant role in their diet.
Large jerboas breed once a year, giving birth in May - early June, two or three, very rarely more than babies, which already reach the size of adults by autumn. With the first night frosts (more often at the end of September), earth hares, having recovered very much, lie down in winter hibernation in specially dug winter holes, which go deeper than 2 m, at the end of the hole there is a well-lined nest. Winter hibernation continues until the end of April, until warm days come.
Ground hares do not belong to the mass pests of agricultural crops, although in some areas of their habitat they can cause some losses, in particular in farms where gourds are cultivated. Here they collect freshly sown seeds, which greatly thin out the crops. But due to the fact that these animals are very few, the harm from them is insignificant and they have no practical significance. Jerboa (three-toed jerboa), as an exceptionally rare species now, listed in the Red Book.
Earth hares have few natural enemies. This was facilitated by exceptionally skillful disguise of holes and extremely fast running, during which animals can make jumps over 2 m long. Among the most obvious predators that prey on large jerboas are steppe polecats, weasels, foxes, and owls.
Someone likes more traditional types of pets - dogs, cats, hamsters - and someone really likes something exotic. No, now we are not talking about iguanas or huge cockroaches. In this article, we will talk about large jerboas, or, as they are also called, earthen hares. We will acquaint you with their description and tell you about the rules for keeping the animal, because you will not see such a pet every day and not in every house.
big jerboa- one of the most major representatives jerboas, it looks pretty cute and funny, like many rodents. He has a short body - somewhere up to 26 cm, but a tail - up to 30.5 cm (at the tip he has a fluffy black or white brush). 
Weight - approximately 300 g. The head is round, the muzzle is wide, slightly elongated with a small heel. Ears up to 59 mm in height. The feet are long - 45% of the length of the entire body.
The color of the back is from brownish-ocher or brownish-gray to pale sandy. Cheeks, neck, belly are white. The femora are reddish on the outer side, along them there is a transverse strip.
Did you know? In the tail of the jerboa accumulate ... reserves of fat. Therefore, by the appearance of a rodent, conclusions can be drawn about its diet. In those who do not eat enough, vertebrae are visible on the tail, in those who are well, they have a rounded shape.
The large jerboa loves forest-steppe and desert zones, trying to avoid the land where it is plowed, because loose soil does not allow them to make shelters for themselves. Most of them live in Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, Western Siberia. 
In general, due to the fact that this animal is able to perfectly adapt to its natural environment, it was able to spread much further than its other brethren. The range of his residence extends up to 55 ° north latitude.
IN modern world jerboas began to start as pets. About the rules of maintenance and care, as well as how to feed this long-eared animal, read on.
Nutrition
The main food is grain, cereals, nuts. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrots, beets, pears should also be added to the rodent's diet. Do not forget about insects - grasshoppers, bloodworms - and worms, they are essential for a rodent to eat well.
Important! Jerboas should not be given sweets and what people eat. They are also contraindicated for seafood, exotic fruits and berries, for example, blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, avocados.
The animal drinks little water, but despite this, it should always be in its house, and be clean and fresh.
This animal needs to move a lot, which must be taken into account when buying it. In addition, this is a nocturnal animal - be prepared for the fact that during the day it usually hides and makes noise at night. 
- loners, and it is unlikely that you will be able to keep two individuals together. It won't lead to anything good. These rodents are very jealous of the protection of their territory. And they contact each other only during the breeding season.
If we talk about contact with people, then it is worth remembering that the jerboa still remains a wild animal. And no one will give you a guarantee that he will quickly get used to your hands, allowing him to squeeze himself without any problems. You will have to gradually accustom the pet to you.
Stay in the same room with him more often so that he gets used to the voices - yours and your family members. It will go into the hands without much enthusiasm. If the animal is very nervous, return it to the cage and give it time to calm down.
If you decide to let the jerboa out of its dwelling so that it warms up a little, keep in mind that catching it will be problematic. Also pay attention to the fact that he can gnaw on furniture or wires.
In nature, the life span of jerboas is limited by external factors - predators, natural conditions, lack of food. Therefore, they usually live no more than 3 years. 
In captivity, under good living conditions, they can live up to 5 years.
Important! Good living conditions mean: a spacious cage, a balanced diet, regular physical activity, constant access to clean drinking water.
The mating season for jerboas is quite long - from April to mid-summer.
The female becomes pregnant once a year, but sometimes manages to acquire offspring twice during this time. Pregnancy lasts about 24-26 days, after which 1 to 8 cubs are born.
After 45-60 days, children can already live separately from their mother. By the year they are already considered sexually mature. 
Speaking about the care and maintenance of a domestic jerboa, it is important to say about the place of his residence. The cage for the rodent should be large, and it is better if it is an aviary. The height of the house is at least 50 cm, since this animal moves by jumping.
Jerboas live in burrows, so give your pet the opportunity to build their own shelter. Sod is good for this (he can dig a tunnel in it), or provide him with a small clay pot that will replace the mink. It would be nice if you put small branches and leaves in your pet's home, with their help he will equip his nest.
Large jerboa (ground hare) Allactaga major (Kerr, 1792) Order Rodents Rodentia Family Five-toed jerboas AllactagidaeStatus in Russia and adjacent regions. The species is listed in the Red Books of the Lipetsk and Tambov regions.
Spreading.
It lives in the European part of Russia (to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions to the north), in the south of the West. Siberia and Ciscaucasia, in the semi-desert, steppe and forest-steppe. Adheres to sagebrush wastelands, clayey plains, salt marshes. In the Voronezh region habitats are known in the Usmansky pine forest and the Bogucharsky district.
Description.
Small animal: body length up to 26 cm, tail up to 30 cm; body weight 260415 g. The head is relatively short and wide. The coloration of the upper body is from brownish-gray to pale sandy-gray with reddish tones, the belly and lower part of the limbs are white, the thighs are rusty-yellow on the outside, with a white stripe extending behind them. The "banner" of the tail is well developed; the black field below is solid, there is no light ring in front of it. In the karyotype 2n = 48.
Features of biology and ecology.
Inhabits desert steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, except for sandy ones. In areas with dense soil and sparse vegetation, it is widely distributed in the steppe zone (especially west of the Volga), penetrates into the forest-steppe and even the southern part of the taiga zone (West Siberia). Here he settles on the slopes of the beams of river valleys, roadsides, on borders and pastures.
Digs burrows independently: permanent and temporary. Lives alone. May occupy abandoned ground squirrel burrows. Leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. It feeds mainly on seeds, underground parts of plants and their young shoots, insects.
The female brings 1 litter per year, usually 34 cubs in a litter, up to a maximum of 8. The population density can reach 58 ind./ha. Number and tendencies of its change. In habitats has declined significantly and continues to decline.
limiting factors. Reduction of areas suitable for habitation due to changing modes of agricultural use. Weak replenishment of the population with young individuals due to low rates of reproduction and slow development of young individuals.
Taken and necessary security measures. Protected in the Voronezh region. since 1994. Establishment of protected areas in key habitats of the species is required.
Information sources: 1. Barabash-Nikiforov, 1957. 2. Klimov A. S., 1996b. 3 . www.ecosystema.ru Compiled by: N. I. Prostakov, N. N. Kharchenko.
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