the Hüpfmäuse is a quite original Nagerfamilie. its next relatives are the "more modern", therefore tribal-historically younger Springmäuse. However, they differ in the shorter hind legs and the less reduced front-legs from these. The whole outer appearance of the Hüpfmäuse is the Springmäuse much mouse-more similar than this.
Characteristics Like finished Springmausartigen doesn't possess any split waiter-lip ("harelip") also the Hüpfmäuse. The tail is ever longer than the body. With a length of only 5-10 cm, they belong to the smaller rodents. Hüpfmäuse hibernate. they live in steppes, forests, brushland-ships and meadows.
One structures it into two subfamilies, the actual Hüpfmäuse (Zapodinae) and the Streifenhüpfmäuse (Sicistinae).
Actual Hüpfmäuse The actual Hüpfmäuse live in North America (types Zapus, Napaeozapus) and in Eastern Asia (type Eozapus).
The North American Feldhüpfmäuse (type Zapus) prefer moister habitats. These night-active animals climb very well and are outstanding swimmers. If they move slowly, they run on all four. Only at the escape, they jump exclusively with the hind legs, with what it sent long jumps its over 2 m, with the long tail steers. its food consists of seeds, fruits and small animals. For the long hibernation, fat is stored at the tail-root.
At the farthest widespread, the Wiesenhüpfmaus (Zapus hudsonius) is in North America. The Waldhüpfmaus (Napaeozapus insignis) leads a similar way of life like the Feldhüpfmäuse in forests.
Streifenhüpfmäuse The Streifenhüpfmäuse (type Sicista) are inhabitants of Eastern Europe and Asia. The most known Streifenhüpfmaus is the forest-birch-mouse (Sicista betulina), who could be proved only in younger time also as component of the German fauna.
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