Observation: A local resident found a mouse in its cat's mouth. The mouse has a long tail, larger head, looks similar to a kangaroo mouse. Is this type of rodent native to Alaska? Their is a concern of different kinds of animals messing up our ecosystem because of new types of non-native animal. Alice Julius, Native Village of Goodnews Bay, LEO & Arlene Shimanek, Goodnews Bay resident
LEO says: "The mouse looks very similar to the meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius). The meadow jumping mouse can range in length, from 7.4 in. (180 mm) to 9.4 in. (240 mm), with its tail taking credit for most of its length, usually about 4.25 in. (108 mm) to 6.5 in. (165 mm). A distinct characteristic about this species is its enlarged hind feet, which can be 1 to 1.3 inches (28 to 35 mm) long, and relatively short forelimbs. This gives it a kangaroo rat-like look to it, although its tail shows that it is not a kangaroo rat because it is not bushy at the tip." Source - Wikipedia
LEO Comment: This post has been forwarded to the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, .
