There are three species of the genus Zapus: Zapus hudsonius, Zapus princeps, and Zapus trinotatus. Eleven subspecies of Zapus hudsonius are listed by Whitaker, Jr. (1972).
Meadow jumping mice make few sounds, except the squeaking of young. Adults may call in clucks, chatter their teeth, and drum the ground with their tails. They have a keen sense of smell and probably use scent to communicate as well.
Meadow jumping mice perceive their environment using their eyes, their ears, their nose, and their whiskers.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Meadow jumping mice are not currently threatened, although local populations may be affected by changes in land use and habitat destruction.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Meadow jumping mice may eat grain, but numbers aren't generally high enough to have a substantial impact.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Meadow jumping mice are an important food source for many predators, and may play a role in spreading the seeds of some of the plants they eat. They have few parasites.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Meadow jumping mice primarily eat seeds, but also feed on berries, fruit, and insects. Grasses may be cut in sections to reach the seed heads. These mice may leave these piles of grass debris with rachis and glumes on the surface. In the spring, one half of the diet may consist of animal foods after emergence from hibernation. Especially important are Lepidoptera larvae and beetles of the familia Carabidae and Curculionidae. Later, seeds and the sporocarps of hypogeous fungi (e.g. Endogone). Weight generally increases toward the beginning of the fall, especially two weeks before hibernation begins, as sufficient accumulated fat is required for hibernation.
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Other Foods: fungus
Primary Diet: herbivore (Granivore )
Meadow jumping mice may be found throughout northern North America. They are found from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Plains in the United States, northward throughout the north eastern and north central states to the arctic tree-line of Alaska and Canada, and as far south as Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, and New Mexico. They have the widest known distribution of mice in the subfamily Zapodinae.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Meadow jumping mice may live in various habitats that have some herbacious cover, but moist grassland is preferred and heavily wooded areas are avoided. Grassy fields and thick vegetated areas bordering streams, ponds, or marshes generally support greater numbers. It is possible that these mice prefer habitats with high humidity.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; mountains
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Most meadow jumping mice in the wild die in their first year; about 9% of those who live longer make it into their third year. Maximum lifespan in captivity is five years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 3 (high) years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 5 (high) years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 1 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: <1 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 5.0 years.
Meadow jumping mice range in length from 180 to 240 mm, with the tail accounting for 108 to 165 mm. The hind feet are 28 to 35 mm long.
Mass varies substantially with the season. Summer weights range between 11.15 and 24.8 grams, averaging between 16 and 19 g. Prior to hibernation, meadow jumping mice may attain weights up to, or greater than, 35 g.
Meadow jumping mice are recognized for their extremely long tails and long hind feet. Small and slender, they differ from woodland jumping mice in that they do not have a white-tipped tail and are generally duller in color. Adults have a dorsal dark or olive brown band, which is paler in juveniles. The sides are a pale yellowish-brown, with black hairs lining the flanks, and the underparts are white or buffy-white. The tail is sparsely haired, dark brown on top and yellow-white on the bottom, and exceeds the body length. The pelage is short, thick, and predominantly coarse. These mice undergo an annual molt that usually commences after mid-June for adults or in August for the juveniles and lasts for about three weeks. Meadow jumping mice have small and delicate forelimbs with four toes on each foot. The hind limbs are longer and have five toes. The feet have naked soles. The head is small, narrow, and relatively high crowned. The nose is short and pointed. These mice have large infraorbital foramen. Dental formula is 1/1, 0/0, 1/0, 3/3. Meadow jumping mice are the only mammal with eighteen teeth. The upper jaw is characterized as follows: short, narrow, and longitudinally grooved incisors; small cheek teeth; and a small peg-like premoloar that generally precedes the molars. These mice have 8 mammary glands, 4 inguinal, 1 pectoral, and 1 abdominal. Females may sometimes be slightly larger and weigh more than males.
Range mass: 12 to 30 g.
Average mass: 18.25 g.
Range length: 180 to 240 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.219 W.
Predators of meadow jumping mice include great horned owls, screech owls, red-tailed hawks, weasels, and foxes. If startled, these mice leap up to 1 m high in the air (hence, their common name) and then either short hop or crouch, flattening their brighter underparts against the ground. This stillness is apparently their primary defense against predators.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
No information is available on the mating system of meadow jumping mice.
The breeding season of meadow jumping mice occurs shortly after hibernation in late April or May. Males emerge from hibernation slightly prior to females and are reproductively active when the females emerge. Within two weeks after emergence, the majority of females are pregnant and gestation begins. Gestation is usually about 18 days, but may be longer for lactating females. A female may have 2 to 3 litters in a year. The average litter size is 5.3, though the number of young varies between 2 and 9. In the north, most young are born and weaned between June and August. Small and weighing about 0.8 g, the neonates are naked, pink, blind, clawless and deaf, but squeak audibly at birth. In the first week, their ear pinnae unfold, fur begins to cover their backs, and their claws appear. They begin crawling between the first and second weeks, and by the third week they can hop, creep, and hear. Their incisors have erupted, and they have tawny coats. By the end of the fourth week, the young have adult pelage, and open eyes. Weaned, they are independent between the 28th and 33rd day. Those young females born during the spring may reproduce after two months.
Breeding interval: Females may have 2 to 3 litters during the warm part of the year.
Breeding season: The breeding season of meadow jumping mice occurs shortly after hibernation in late April or May.
Range number of offspring: 2 to 9.
Average number of offspring: 5.6.
Average gestation period: 18 days.
Range time to independence: 28 to 33 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 (low) months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 0.8 g.
Average gestation period: 19 days.
Average number of offspring: 5.5.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 61 days.
Female meadow jumping mice provide all the care for their young, until they are weaned and independent.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
