(Source: weheartit.com, via quitte)

astronomy-to-zoology:

Long-eared Jerboa

(Euchoreutes naso)

the long eared jerboa is a mouse like rodent of the family dipodidae. the are characterized by their large ears (thus the name) and long hind legs that they use for jumping. they can be found in southern Mongolia and Parts of Northern China. they are not the biggest animals growing up to 3 in long (6 with the tail), they are nocturnal and have a diet of insects which they leap to catch using their powerful legs and good sense of hearing. they are the only species in its genus ans subfamily and very little is known about them. they are also often confused with kangaroo rats.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Rodentia-Dipodidae-Euchoreutinae-Euchoreutes-Naso

damasquerade:

Pepper (by | Sarkey |)

many-splendored-rat:

I should rent out Blainers to shampoo makers. They could do close-ups of her for their “after” photos.

umzoology:

Cricetidae 

It’s still National Wildlife Week, so I thought I would feature a few of our less celebrated museum specimens, members of the order Cricetidae!  It is the second-largest mammalian order and consists of New World mice and rats, voles, lemmings, and true hamsters.  

I personally feel as if these guys are highly underrated, especially the species in the first photo: the bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea), also known as the packrat.  I really think they would benefit from a name change, like maybe “bushy-tailed mice squirrels”, to highlight their resourcefulness and the quirks of their individual characters.  

The following three pictures feature the traditional deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus).  These white-bellied rodents can sometimes be associated with lyme disease and the hantavirus; the discovery that they were carriers of those diseases led to a public awareness of these creatures and reminded people to be wary when working or living in environments in which deer mice are found.  

The last picture is of some Chinese striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis), which I was not aware we had in our collection!  It’s always fun coming across new things in our museum, which happens to me multiple times a day and really keeps things inspiring. 

(Source: thebrainscoop)