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Tracking
Quizzes
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Quiz #10 - Answer
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The answer is our familiar friend, MOUSE. In this case
probably a white-footed mouse or deer mouse. Not many animals to choose
from that have feet & body that small - I believe vole &
short-tailed shrew would have a shorter tail, and other species of shrew
would have a smaller body, but that’s just a guess from field guides.
These tracks were educational for me, though, as they showed how far a
mouse can bound, that mice can tunnel through the snow, and that they are
smart enough to cache food for future use. Also clued me in as to how much
you can learn from animal sign when the tracks themselves are hard to see.
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Addendum re mouse species, from Julie Liptak:
According to Bernd Heinrich (& others)...
There are 2 species of deer mice, one being the "official"
deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus, & the other is the white footed
mouse Peromyscus leucopus. Evidently only experts can distinguish the 2:
"the defining characteristic...is a molecular variation in their
salivary amylase, an enzyme in their saliva that helps digest
starch." (pg. 200, Winter World, by Bernd Heinrich)
File this under "more than I need to know"
&/or "conversation topics for an office social
event".
I shall henceforth call all my meese "deer mice".
By the way, the above book is excellent - it's about animal survival
in winter. |
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Quiz
#10 - Question
...on to Quiz #11 |
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(All photos on this page are Copyright © by Brian Booth
or Walter Muma unless indicated otherwise)
To send comments, questions or feedback about these quizzes,
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