Rodents

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Introduction

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  1.   1.  Range
  2.   2.  Uses
  3.   3.  Speech
  4.   4.  Types
    1.   4.1  Beavers
    2.   4.2  Lemmings
    3.   4.3  Mice
    4.   4.4  Muskrats
    5.   4.5  Porcupines
    6.   4.6  Rats
    7.   4.7  Squirrels
    8.   4.8  Voles

Encompassing approximately 40% of all mammalian species, rodents are a diverse and widespread group of animals. They are characterized by the pair of incisors in their upper and lower jaws that grow continuously, requiring them to keep them ground down to prevent overgrowth. Rodents play important ecological roles and can be arboreal, semi-aquatic, or burrowing.

Icons

Beaver Beaver Beaver Chipmunk Chipmunk Mouse Rat


1.  Range

Rodents can be found throughout the 'Souls territories. Because of how diverse this order of mammals is, where any one of these rodents can be found will depend on their habitat, behavior, and food source.

2.  Uses

  • Food
    • Beaver meat is similar tasting to lean beef, but care must be taken to prevent contamination from the animal's strong castor (musk) gland. It is usually slow-cooked in a broth.
    • Muskrat meat is tender and tastes gamey, like rabbit or duck.
    • Porcupines are edible and were an important source of food, especially in winter, to the Natives of Canada's boreal forests.
  • Pelts and fur
    • Beaver fur
    • Muskrat fur is warm, and the trapping of muskrats for their fur was an important industry in the early 20th century for humans.
    • Porcupine quills are used by Native Americans to decorate articles such as baskets and clothing.

3.  Speech

According to our Speech Guide, this creature speaks Low Speech naturally. It is therefore not able to communicate with Luperci. This creature is listed as having the ability to learn some limited comprehension of high speech, but generally will never be able to speak it.

4.  Types

4.1  Beavers

North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)


  • Description: Adults usually weigh from 11 to 32 kg (24 to 71 lb), with 20 kg (44 lb) being a typical mass. The head-and-body length is 74–90 cm (29–35 in), with the tail adding a further 20–35 cm (7.9–14 in). Very old individuals can exceptionally exceed normal sizes, weighing more than 40 kg (88 lb) or even as much as 50 kg (110 lb). The beaver is semi-aquatic. The beaver has many traits suited to this lifestyle. It has a large flat paddle-shaped tail and large, webbed hind feet reminiscent of a human diver's swimfins. The unwebbed front paws are smaller, with claws. The eyes are covered by a nictitating membrane which allows the beaver to see underwater. The nostrils and ears are sealed while submerged. A thick layer of fat under its skin insulates the beaver from its cold water environment.
  • Behavior: Beavers are most famous, and infamous, for their dam-building. They maintain their pond-habitat by reacting quickly to the sound of running water, and damming it up with tree branches and mud. Early ecologists believed that this dam-building was an amazing feat of architectural planning, indicative of the beaver's high intellect.
North American Beaver
Credit: Unknown Source


4.2  Lemmings

Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) & Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi)


  • Description: They have cylindrical, thick bodies covered with long grey or brown fur with pale grey underparts. There is a patch of rust-coloured hair at the base of the ears. They have small eyes, a hairy snout and a short tail. Their small ears are barely visible through their fur. They are 13 cm long with a 2 cm tail and weigh about 30 g. There are two species of Lemming within 'Souls -- the Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) and the Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi). The differences betewen the two species are minute and unlikely to be noticed by Luperci.
  • Behavior: They are active year round, mainly at night. They make runways through the surface vegetation and also dig underground burrows. These animals are often found in small colonies.
Southern Bog Lemming
Credit: Wikimedia Commons


4.3  Mice

White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)

Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)

Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis)

Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius)

House Mouse (Mus musculus)

4.4  Muskrats

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)


  • Description: Muskrats are covered with short, thick fur which is medium to dark brown or black in color, with the belly a bit lighter; as the age increases, it turns a partly gray in color. The fur has two layers, which helps protect them from the cold water. They have long tails covered with scales rather than hair. An adult muskrat is about 40–70 cm (16–28 in) long, almost half of that tail, and weighs from 0.6–2 kg (1.3–4.4 lb).
  • Behavior: The muskrat is a large Rodent. Muskrats are referred to as "rats" in a general sense because they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet.
Muskrat
Credit: Unknown Source

4.5  Porcupines

North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)


  • Description: Porcupines are usually dark brown or black in color, with white highlights. They have a chunky body, a small face, short legs and a short thick tail. This species is the largest of the New World porcupines and is one of the largest North American rodents. Their upper parts are covered with thousands of sharp, barbed hollow spines or quills (actually modified hairs), which are used for defense.
  • Behavior: Porcupines do not throw their quills, but the quills detach easily and the barbs make them very difficult to remove once lodged in an attacker. The quills are normally flattened against the body unless the animal is disturbed. The porcupine also swings its quilled tail towards a perceived threat. This animal is usually found in coniferous and mixed forested areas; they are also found in thicketed areas in shrublands throughout 'Souls. They make their dens in holes in trees or in rocky areas.
North American Porcupine
Credit: Unknown Source


4.6  Rats

Black Rat (Rattus rattus)

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

4.7  Squirrels

American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)


  • Description: Red squirrels can be easily identified from other North American tree squirrels by their smaller size, territorial behavior and reddish fur with a white venter (underbelly). They are larger than similarly-colored chipmunks.
  • Behavior: The diet of these tree squirrels is specialized on the seeds of conifer cones; that is their preferred habitat. White Spruce seeds comprise over 50% of a red squirrel's diet, but squirrels have also been observed eating spruce buds and needles, mushrooms, Willow leaves, Bearberry flowers and berries, and animal material such as bird eggs or even snowshoe hare leverets (young). They are found everywhere, but particularly in the easterly areas of the Sticks and Stones territory.
American Red Squirrel
Credit:

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)


  • Description: It has reddish-brown fur on its upper body and five dark brown stripes contrasting with light brown stripes along its back, ending in a dark tail. It has lighter fur on the lower part of its body. It has a tawny stripe that runs from its whiskers to below its ears, and light stripes over its eyes. It has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs but five on the hind legs.
  • Behavior: The eastern chipmunk lives in deciduous wooded areas and urban parks throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. It prefers locations with rocky areas and shrubs to provide cover. It has several bird-like or chattering calls; one is a trill at the rate of 130 vibrations per minute and another is a lower-pitched, clicking sound.
Eastern Chipmunk
Credit: gillesgonthier@Flickr

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)


  • Description: A native tree squirrel, Eastern gray squirrels are silver-gray to brownish in coloration with a paler ventral side. Genetic variations within these include individuals with black tails and black-colored squirrels with white tails. Like many members of the family Sciuridae, the Eastern gray squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in numerous small caches for later recovery.
  • Behavior: Eastern gray squirrels can be found inhabiting large areas of mature, dense woodland ecosystems, generally covering 40 hectares of land. Oak-hickory hardwood forests are preferred over coniferous forests. Therefore, Tobeatic wilderness is preferrable to conifer-dominant forests such as those found on the easterly Chebucto wilderness. They are not found north of Halcyon Mountain or further west than Miramichi Valley. Eastern gray squirrels build a type of nest, known as a "drey", in the forks of trees, consisting mainly of dry leaves and twigs. Males and females may share the same nest for short times during the breeding season and during cold winter spells squirrels may share a drey to stay warm. They may also nest in the attic or exterior walls of abandoned houses.
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Credit:

Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)

Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans)

Woodchuck (Marmota monax)


4.8  Voles

Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

Gapper's Red-Backed Vole (Clethrionomys gapperi)

Rock Vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus)


Categories: Fauna | Resources