Saving the Pacific Pocket Mouse

From the creator

Scientists at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research welcomed their fifth litter of Pacific pocket mice on August 30, 2013. However the exact amount of pups in the litter hasn't been determined because the mother is protectively keeping the pink, hairless pups in the back of a densely packed nest. The nest, which is inside a capped PVC pipe, is filled with fibrous material and is maintained by the mother Pacific pocket mouse. Each individual Pacific pocket mouse enclosure includes PVC pipes that act as the tunnels and burrows for the Pacific pocket mouse, but still allows researchers to access and check on the animals. For now, researchers can only guess that the size of this fifth litter is between four and six individuals. Staff also estimates that the pups each weigh about one gram and measure less than an inch long. This birth is another success story for the inaugural captive breeding season of this critically endangered species native to California. There are now 11 juveniles at the Pacific pocket mouse breeding facility that have been born since June. And researchers are closely watching the other females that may be pregnant and may deliver pups before the breeding season ends, which is usually the end of September. The gestation period for a Pacific pocket mouse is just 23 days. "Any pup was really a success and we've surpassed that by having five litters - and we're expecting more," said Amaranta Kozuch, senior research technician at the San Dieg

Published 2013-09-11 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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