![]() Rock Pocket Mice breed from February or March through July, and young have been seen from April through August. computer graphing software or graph paper and colored pencils) TEACHING TIPS Download the Rock Pocket Mouse Illustrations file from the activity webpage. These pocket mice weigh 34 to 50 grams and have a body length of 10 to 14 cm and long tails of up to 16 cm. On the other hand, dark-colored rock pocket mouse populations have been found living on black, basaltic rock formations caused by geologic lava flows. It highlights the research of Michael Nachman, who has quantified predation on rock pocket mice and identified adaptive changes in coat-color genes that allow the mice to travel under the radar of hungry predators. Rock Pocket Mouse Illustrations (downloadable file on the activity webpage) The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation video Supplies for creating bar graphs (e.g. Most rock pocket mouse populations have sandy-colored fur, which is consistent with the light color of the desert rocks and sand on which they live. This is typical of pocket mice - their color often matches the background color of their habitat. This film uses the rock pocket mouse as a living example of Darwin’s process of natural selection. The pocket mice are also primarily granivorous (seed eating), most often eating mesquite beans and the seeds of grasses, creosote bushes, and weeds. The mouse pictured is sitting on a lava rock, probably in New Mexico, and the color of its fur blends with the dark rock. This assignment requires students to take the roles of scientists and use traps at two simulated locations to determine what is happening to the populations of dark coated and light coated mice. ![]() Use the slider to change the color of their environment and watch the traits of the population shift over time. Their inconspicuous burrows are located near or under rocks, in rocky gulches or canyons, or near boulders. The Rock Pocket Mice of southwestern United States have demonstrated a very clear and interpretable case for microevolution. Rock Pocket Mouse Simulation The smaller circles represent individual rock pocket mice. (It is sometimes grouped in the genus Perognathus.)Īs their name indicates, Rock Pocket Mice dwell in rocky habitats, and only rarely live in areas with sandy or silty soils. intermedius, is one of 19 species of pocket mice in the genus Chaetodipus. Habitat is rock ledges, steep rocky ravines, boulders or gravelly slopes, with sparse, shrubby vegetation avoids areas of extensive sand or.
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