Description
The Woodland jumping mouse is a medium-sized rodent and is similar to the Zapus mice but differs in having a white tail tip, brighter colors, and the lack of a small premolar in the upper jaw. Its sides are yellowish or reddish-brown peppered with black hairs. Dark-tipped hairs are intermixed with the dark brown dorsal band running from nose to tail. The underparts and feet are white. The species is darker in the south. The mouse has precise thermoregulation when active, deep seasonal hibernation, a high lower critical temperature, and a poor ability to tolerate high ambient temperatures which are likely adaptations to living in the cold.
The small, high-crowned skull displays large, oval infraorbital foramina, small auditory bullae, a short and broad palate, and narrow zygomatic arches. Three molariform teeth are present, premolars are absent, and grooved incisors are orange or yellow. Molars are rooted and semi-hypsodont. The tail is dark brown above and creamy white below with a white tip, and is sparsely haired, thin, tapered, and scaly. It is approximately 60% of total body length. Tail length is made possible by increased number and length of tail vertebrae. Long hind legs with elongated ankle bones and long toe bones make it possible for the mouse to leap and jump.
| Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Length (nose to tail tip) | 205–256 mm (8.1–10.1 in) |
| Tail | 115–160 mm (4.5–6.3 in) |
| Weight | 17–35 g (0.60–1.2 oz) |
| Basal metabolic rate | 1.80 cm^3 oxygen/hour (average) |
| Measurements of 40 Adults from New York | |
| Length | 227 mm (8.9 in) 210–249 mm (8.3–9.8 in) |
| Tail | 129.5 mm (5.10 in) 126–152 mm (5.0–6.0 in) |
| Hind foot | 30.2 mm (1.19 in) 28–44 mm (1.1–1.7 in) |
| Weight | May–June: 20 g (0.71 oz) Sept.–Oct., just prior to hibernation: 26.5 g (0.93 oz) |
| Measurements of 8 Adults from the Smoky Mountains | |
| Length | 223 mm (8.8 in) 185–233 mm (7.3–9.2 in) |
| Tail | 140 mm (5.5 in) 120–148 mm (4.7–5.8 in) |
| Hind foot | 29.7 mm (1.17 in) 29–30 mm (1.1–1.2 in) |
| Diploid Number, Tooth Formula, and Mammae | |
| Diploid number | 72 |
| Tooth formula | 1.0.0.31.0.0.3 = 16 |
| Mammae | 1 pair pectoral; 2 pair abdominal; 1 pair inguinal |
| Metabolism | |
| Typical body temperature | 310ºK (37.0°C or 98.6°F) |
| Basal metabolic rate | 0.2200 W (0.0002950 hp) |
| Body mass | 21.8 g (0.77 oz) |
| Metabolic rate per body mass | 0.010092W/g |
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