Agent Bible
Wild Animals: Rodents
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Habitat: |
Voles can be found pretty much anywhere - they may develop into different species eventually if populations become separated. They have very small territories and live in quite high densities - prefer meadow that is well-grown so that they can form tunnels through the grass at ground level and stay out of sight of predators. Also found in forests, but only if there are few mice (who prefer forests) around. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Diet:
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The majority of the diet of a vole is tender grass shoots and roots. They form little tunnels through patches of grass and travel these each day, nibbling off any new growth that they find. At different times of year they may also take grass and other seeds, fruit, underground storage roots from plants and so on, but grass is the staple of their diet. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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LifeStyle:
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Voles tend to live in quite high concentrations and move around very little. They are short-lived; three years is a good age for a vole, and breed extremely fast - a female can raise over 30 young in a year. Burrows tend to be dug into the ground at the base of a clump of grass or large bush (for protection) and tunnels may lead out from this to favoured feeding sites. females tend to live alone, and males visit them occasionally to mate. As voles form the staple diet of many small predators their population tends to influence the distribution of other animals - if there is a bad year and few voles survive, predators will become widely scattered looking for alternative food sources. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Special
Skills:
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Able to hear infra-sound (vv high-pitched noise) that includes squeaks of other rodents, some insects and wider range of other noises. Thought to have black-and-white vision, but whiskers add great detail to sense of surroundings at close range. sensitive to vibrations. as a prey animal, vision extends almost to 360 degrees around them. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Habitat: |
The majority of pika colonies will found in rock and scree slopes at the edges of the steppe. With their furry feet (to prevent frostbite and help grip) they are adept at climbing over rocks, and will not usually venture far from them. They are generally found at high altitudes, and towards the top of mountains form the main staple of many predators. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Diet:
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Pika are strict vegetarians but beyond that will eat anything - bark, sap, grass, roots, fruit all form part of their diet. They strangest behaviour occurs during the late summer on the steppe, where they begin to nibble long grass off at the base, carry it back to a spot near their burrow entrance and lay it in piles. Effectively, they are preparing a haystack to see them through the winter - the presence of pika in an area can be confirmed by noise, communal latrines and piles of hay scattered around between rocks, under trees and so on. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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LifeStyle:
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Pika live in large informal colonies that ramble over a large area. They each will have private burrows and a 'feeding territory' that they defend, but in all other things act like a large colony, being usually quite tolerant of each other and using a sentry system to protect them against predators. Mating takes place twice a year, and litters are born after a very short gestation. the males take no care of their offspring, who quickly grow up and may be breeding themselves within the year. Pika do not hibernate, and can often be seen on sunny winter days sunning themselves on the rocks outside their burrows. They are active during the day and spend the night in their burrows where they are safer from predators (mostly foxes, polecats and smaller cats - pallas, lynx, leopard cat etc). | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Special
Skills:
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Good vision, although a bit short-sighted. Quick to detect movement even in dense foliage. Vision extends to nearly 360 degrees, and includes good depth perception. Good hearing. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Habitat: |
Marmots are one of the highest-living mammals in the world and are often referred to as 'mountain pigs' or 'snow pigs'. They prefer open land such as the steppe where sentries posted while they eat or sun themselves can detect approaching dangers. They dig extensive burrows underground. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Diet:
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Marmots eat grasses mostly, but also nibble their way through a large part of the vegetable kingdom. They have large chisel teeth that are self-sharpening and can even gnaw through small trees if they feel like it. No food is stored for winter, so summer is a race to put on as much weight as possible. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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LifeStyle:
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Marmots live communally in extensive burrows, although each family has a separate nesting burrow that usually contains an adult pair and their assorted teenaged or infant offspring. The 'public areas' of the burrow system include a toilet, communal resting area and even communal hibernating dens. Marmots hibernate throughout the harsh winter and then mate before venturing outside to start gorging themselves on new spring growth. Marmots even graze communally, setting sentries at eh edges of their favoured patch of grass to spot dangers. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Special
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Marmots rely on their senses to survive, and so have a good sense of smell and hearing. However, their eyesight is good but short-sighted; they post sentries around their feeding areas to spot danger. They seem to have the ability to hear high-pitched noises unheard by humans, and also communicate with thumpings and scratchings, so vibration can be quite important to them. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Habitat: |
Lives and nests in the trees of deciduous and coniferous forests. They prefer to live in large, mature trees that can provide them with an abundant supply of food in the form of seeds or acorns. Trees chosen as nesting sites usually have hollowed out cavities or large holes in their trunks which can be used as nests. A high quality nest may be used for several years, but they always maintain several nests to which they can escape when being pursued by a predator. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Diet:
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The species regularly forages on coniferous seeds, beechnuts, acorns, and nuts. They have a specialized technique for opening nuts that utilises the power of the lower incisors. With practice they are able to open a nut in just a few seconds. The dietary habits of these squirrels varies greatly according to the region in which they live and with the availability of different foods. When their regular dietary staples are not available, they will eat mushrooms and other fungi, the eggs found in birds' nests, and garden flowers and vegetables. They have also been observed peeling the bark off conifers and licking the trees' juices. Like most squirrels they store food supplies by burying them in the ground or hiding them in the bark of trees. Young squirrels learn what food sources to eat from their mothers. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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LifeStyle:
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The daily activities of the Eurasian Red Squirrel center around obtaining food. They are normally most active in the morning and late afternoon when they consume the most food. During spring and summer, they rest in their nests during the mid-day hours to avoid the extreme heat. During the winter, however, the mid-day rest may be very short or absent. While these squirrels spend most of their time in the trees, they do come to the ground when necessary to search for food or to bury food items such as acorns and nuts. While they don't hibernate, they stay in their nests and rest when there are bad storms or high speed winds that would make travelling amongst the tree branches dangerous, coming out only they have to come out to find food. Females also stay in their nest for extended periods of time to care for their young. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Special
Skills:
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Good vision, although a bit short-sighted. Quick to detect movement even in dense foliage. Vision extends to nearly 360 degrees, and includes good depth perception. Good hearing. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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