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Saw another Desert "Killer" last night! Login/Join 
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Picture of pulicords
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Saw this little rodent last night in an area of our front yard devoid of vegetation I’d expect a mouse/rat to feed on. After doing some research, I’m confident that this is a Northern Grasshopper Mouse, a ferocious predator. While they’ll eat seeds, grasses, and grain, “90%” of their diet is LIVE PREY such as spiders (including tarantulas), scorpions, centipedes, and even other mice. A few weeks ago I posted a pic of a tarantula that had predated a small Kangaroo mouse. Well, I guess turnabout is "fair play"! They’re known to hunt like cats and defend their territory by howling. To facilitate digestion, I learned they ingest gravel and I believe that’s what it was doing when I found it!

https://www.bing.com/videos/se...EBE556C&&FORM=VDRVRV



"I'm not fluent in the language of violence, but I know enough to get around in places where it's spoken."
 
Posts: 10187 | Location: The Free State of Arizona | Registered: June 13, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Caribou gorn
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Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!



I'm gonna vote for the funniest frog with the loudest croak on the highest log.
 
Posts: 10474 | Location: Marietta, GA | Registered: February 10, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Little ray
of sunshine
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Ferocious!




The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything.
 
Posts: 53118 | Location: Texas | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Partial dichotomy
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I'd definitely keep him around!




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Posts: 38599 | Location: SC Lowcountry/Cape Cod | Registered: November 22, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I've never seen this guy, but I'm sure it's around, as I never wander around much at night. Wikipedia says they can harbor 57 species of fleas! So far, in 18 years here in AZ, and always with 2 or 3 dogs, we've never had any flea problem with the dogs, and we don't treat them for fleas either. As 6guns says, it sounds like a good critter to have around. Anything that will eat scorpions is good in my book. Smile



When in doubt, mumble
 
Posts: 10778 | Location: South Congress AZ | Registered: May 27, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I'd have to disagree with keeping any rodent around, except in a snap trap. I'd rather deal with bugs than a mouse that can reproduce like a mouse does. I used to raise mice and rats for labs. The gestation period is about 3 weeks, and their litters are 3–14 young (average six to eight). One female mouse can have up to 10 litters per year, so the mouse population can increase very quickly.

But maybe if you like cute rattlesnakes...
 
Posts: 11194 | Location: Somewhere north of a hot humid hell in the summer. | Registered: January 09, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of henryaz
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quote:
Originally posted by az4783054:
I'd have to disagree with keeping any rodent around, except in a snap trap. I'd rather deal with bugs than a mouse that can reproduce like a mouse does. I used to raise mice and rats for labs. The gestation period is about 3 weeks, and their litters are 3–14 young (average six to eight). One female mouse can have up to 10 litters per year, so the mouse population can increase very quickly.

But maybe if you like cute rattlesnakes...

I don't think many of the litter, or adults, survive in great numbers, what with coyotes, raptors and especially the GHOs, roadrunners, snakes, etc. They got to eat, too, and rodents are on a lot of other species' diets. Smile



When in doubt, mumble
 
Posts: 10778 | Location: South Congress AZ | Registered: May 27, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of ersatzknarf
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quote:
Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!



HA!


Big Grin




 
Posts: 4917 | Registered: June 06, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Again Pulicords, I'm going to "nope" out of a walk in the woods with you!

Don't get me wrong, it's a cute mouse, but a mouse that eats tarantulas AND ROCKS.


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"When its time to shoot, shoot. Dont talk!"

“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” —Author Tom Clancy
 
Posts: 8322 | Location: Attempting to keep the noise down around Midway Airport | Registered: February 14, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Fourth line skater
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quote:
Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!


RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!


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Posts: 7506 | Location: Pueblo, CO | Registered: July 03, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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