Northern grasshopper mice have suprisingly few predators. Other than humans, their primary predators are owls and other nocturnal birds of prey.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
In shortgrass prairies northern grasshopper mice add prairie birds to their diet. This may result in the loss of a variety of birds because of predation by this species and other mammalian predators.
Since the diet of this species consists of mainly insects and very few plants (such as commercially produced grains), it has been suggested that O. leucogaster may be able to serve as a natural predator against pests that commonly disturb agriculture.
They also make interesting pets, and become tame in captivity.
O. leucogaster are unique among mice in that the majority (almost 90%) of the diet is other animals. They feed primarily on insects, including grasshoppers, scorpions, beetles, crickets, and moths. They have been known to eat rodents as well, including other O. leucogaster.
Northern grasshopper mice stalk their prey in an almost feline manner letting out a shrill cry before attacking.
In the stomach of these creatures, two of the glands are enclosed in a 'pocket' of tissue. This is thought to protect them from damage by the chitin from their insect prey.
Onychomys leucogaster, the Northern grasshopper mouse, can be found from southwestern Canada throughout the western United States into northwestern Mexico. Its distribution ranges from the Pacific coast to western Minnesota and Iowa.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Onychomys leucogaster live in shortgrass prairies, sand dunes and in sage brush desert. These are primarily areas with sandy soil in which they build their burrows. Compared to other species of the same genus, northern grasshopper mice prefer higher elevations and so are also commonly found in canyon lands.
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 5.0 years.
Northern grasshopper mice have white ventral fur, and dorsal fur that ranges from brown to pink. The tail is short, averaging 42 mm in length, with a white tip. This is approximately one third of total body length, which averages 164mm. The hind feet average 22mm.
Juvenile O. leucogaster have white ventral surfaces, however the dorsal fur ranges from light to dark grey. At 57 to 62 days of age, fur color changes to the cinnamon color of adult pelage. This process takes up to 20 days. Teeth are smaller than many other mice, with pointed cusps reflecting their carnivorous diet.
Range mass: 25 to 40 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Breeding occurs throughout the year but more frequently between May and October.
When a male and female O. leucogaster come within 10 to 15 cm of each other, they begin to circle and smell the anal area of the other sex. This is followed with the male following the female until he mounts her from the rear in what is called a copulatory lock. This occurs in 10 phases and requires around three hours to complete. Each phase is ended when the female moves away and begins to groom herself. Studies show that pairs that engage in only a few "locks" have little reproductive success.
The female rears an average of four young which she spends much time caring for until they are 14 days old. The male does not contribute to this care. This is a relatively slow maturation rate and is thought to be connected to learning the predatory behaviors that the young will need to survive. Several litters are born to a female each year.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 2.6 g.
Average gestation period: 31 days.
Average number of offspring: 4.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 114 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 100 days.
The northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) is a North American carnivorous rodent of the family Cricetidae.[2] It ranges over much of the western part of the continent, from southern Saskatchewan and central Washington to Tamaulipas in northeast Mexico.[1]
The northern grasshopper mouse is found in North America, but primarily in dry areas. They are similar in body size to other mice; on average they are 164 mm (6.5 in) long and about 35 g (0.077 lb) in weight. The tail is most often less than 30% of the total body length, whereas other mice tend to have longer tails adding to long body lengths. The grasshopper mouse is a reddish-black/grey color with white hair on the belly. Unlike most rodents, this one has a mostly carnivorous diet mainly consisting of small insects, other mice, and even snakes; no more than a quarter of its diet is plant-based. This rodent is also nocturnal. Throughout the night, the grasshopper mouse makes high-pitched noises to claim its territory.
This grasshopper mouse can be found in prairies with low grass, dry areas, and also pasture lands of the central and southwestern parts of the United States. O. leucogaster has been known to associate positively with black-tailed prairie dogs, possibly due to their preference for disturbed areas, suitable habitat in the form of burrows, or food supply.[3][4][5] The northern grasshopper mouse lives in burrows underground, by either digging its own or inhabiting burrows that have been disowned. These mice have a system of multiple burrows, with each burrow serving a different function. The nest burrow is the primary area of activity during the day; since they are nocturnal, they do not need to be in a burrow during the night. To keep moisture in during the day, they close up the opening. A retreat burrow serves for quick escape from predators. Its design is about 10 inches into the ground at a 45° angle. The cache burrow is used for storing seeds. The signpost burrows are small and filled with glandular secretions that mark the boundaries of their territory. All of these burrows are found within a large area of territory.
The northern grasshopper mouse has about two or three litters a year consisting of two to seven young, with the average being four. They have a gestation of 32–47 days, and the young are born in either late fall or early winter, between September and February. The male gathers and provides food for the female while she is pregnant and taking care of her young.[6] The northern grasshopper mouse is an altricial species; baby mice are naked with closed eyes when they are born, and weigh about three grams. Both sexes reach their sexual maturity at three months, but the lifespan of a typical mouse living in the wild is only a few weeks to a few months.
Susceptibility studies on grasshopper mice from areas with plague and from those areas that have been historically free of plague by Thomas et al. (1988)[7] showed the animals from areas with a history of plague were more resistant to the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis than the animals from a historically plague-free area, hence they were considered to be a potential alternate host for plague. Grasshopper mice have also been shown to harbor 57 species of fleas, many of which are vectors of plague.[8] Given the abundance and diversity of fleas on the grasshopper mouse and their use of prairie dog burrows and interaction with other rodent species, they are considered to be important for the maintenance and transmission of plague in the prairie dog ecosystem.[5][9] They are also found frequently infected with another hemotropic intracellular pathogen Bartonella[5] and Ying et al. 2007[10] showed that they can acquire different strains of Bartonella from multiple rodent species.
The northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) is a North American carnivorous rodent of the family Cricetidae. It ranges over much of the western part of the continent, from southern Saskatchewan and central Washington to Tamaulipas in northeast Mexico.
