mammals

Meriones tamariscinus,Tamarisk gerbil,Sand rat

Features：It is large in size, has a short tail, short ears, and a brown back.

Tamarix gerbils belong to the Gerbillinae subfamily. The species-level classification status is stable, with 5 subspecies. Tamarix gerbils are the largest species of the genus Gerbil, mainly active in semi-desert meadows and grass, and also more in dry riverbeds and abandoned farmland. In the living...

Meriones meridianus,Yellow rat, noon gerbil, midday gerbil

Features：The color of the body hair varies greatly, ranging from sandy yellow to dark brown. The tail hair is brownish yellow above and below, with long black or dark brown hair near the tail tip.

Merionis meridianus is a gerbil unique to my country, belonging to the Gerbillinae subfamily. The species-level classification status is stable, with many subspecies, 15 in total. At least 7 subspecies have been described in China, but whether they are all valid needs further study. It mainly lives...

Meriones erythrourus,,Meriones libycus,Red-tailed gerbil

Features：It has a large and sturdy body, a gray-brown back, a gray hair base, a tail that is nearly the same length as the body, and the color of the tail is obviously different from the back color, being brown-yellow.

Red-tailed gerbils belong to the Gerbillinae subfamily. The species-level classification status is stable, and there are many subspecies, up to 15. Xinjiang is the eastern edge of the distribution of red-tailed gerbils. It is a common species in desert oases, often cohabiting with giant gerbils (<...

Brachiones przewalskii,Short—eared gerbil,Short-eared mouse

Features：The ears are small, the back of the body is light sandy brown, and the base of the hair is gray.

Short-eared gerbils belong to the Gerbillinae subfamily. This genus has only one species, which is only distributed in China. The species-level taxonomic unit is stable, with 3 subspecies. It is an important member of the desert ecosystem, but the number is small, there is little research on it, and...

Phodopus roborovskii,Roborovsky hamster, desert hairy rat, bean rat, and mother-in-law rat

Features：It is the smallest species in the hamster subfamily and has a characteristic short tail.

Phodopus roborovskii is a species of the genus Phodopus in the subfamily Cricetinae. The origin of the species is Nanshan in Inner Mongolia, China. The species-level classification status is stable, with 3 synonyms, one of which (<P. r. przewalskii>) is sometimes listed as a species, and somet...

Phodopus campbelli,Campbell's desert hamster,Campbell hamster, first-line hamster

Features：The hairy-footed hamster is the smallest group in the subfamily of hamsters, and its main identifying feature is its very short tail.

Campbell's hairy-footed mouse belongs to the subfamily Cricetinae. Hairy-footed mouse is the smallest group in the subfamily Cricetinae. Its main identification feature is that its tail is very short, less than 14mm, and the soles of its feet are covered with dense hair. The tail length of other...

Cricetulus migratorius,Grey hamster,Hamster, moving

Features：The body is relatively stout. The tail is long, which is longer than the hind legs and is about 30% of the body length. The snout is blunt and the ears are round.

The gray hamster belongs to the subfamily Cricetinae. The taxonomic status of this species is stable, and there are many subspecies, 15 of which are described, 3 of which are in China. It is a species with strong adaptability. According to records (Luo Zexun et al., 2000), this species is distribute...

Cricetulus kamensis,Tibetan hamster,Kangzang hamster, Tibetan hamster, short-tailed Tibetan hamster, Ladakh hamster

Features：It has small eyes, large, round ears, a long tail, and a dark gray-brown back. The base of the dorsal hair is light gray-black, gradually darkening from front to back.

Kangzang hamster belongs to the subfamily Cricetinae. Its former Chinese name was Tibetan hamster. Its taxonomic status is stable, but there are many subspecies. It was later revised by Wang Song and Zheng Changlin (1973) to have 4 subspecies in China. It is a plateau species, living in alpine shrub...

Cricetulus barabensis,Spotted hamster, patterned hamster, moving hamster, cheeked hamster, Chinese hamster

Features：Small in size, stout and short in appearance, with a relatively round head, a short and blunt snout, and short and round ears with white edges.

The black-lined hamster belongs to the subfamily Cricetinae. The taxonomic status of this species is stable, but the subspecies are relatively confusing. There are as many as 6 subspecies in my country. Whether they are all valid needs further study. It is a common species in the arid and semi-arid...

Ondatra zibethicus,Muskrat, Ondatra,Castor zibethicus Linnaeus,Blue-rooted marten, muskrat, water rat, water rat

Features：It is the largest in the subfamily of voles. The male secretes muskrat scent through the muskrat glands in its reproductive system, which has a strong aroma. Muskrat scent can replace musk as a precious Chinese medicinal material and is also a raw material for making high-end perfumes.

Muskrat is commonly known as blue-rooted marten or muskrat. It is named because the glands in its perineum can produce musk-like secretions. Because they live in water and are good at swimming, they are also called water rats or water mice. Muskrat is native to North America and was introduced to th...

Proedromys liangshanensis,Neodon nyalamensis,Vole, Microtus gross

Features：Its body shape is similar to that of a vole, but it is slightly larger than an ordinary vole, and its ears are smaller and hidden in the fur.

Liangshan Grooved Vole belongs to the subfamily Arvicoliniae. It is a new species published by Liu Shaoying et al. (2007). There was only one species in the genus Proedromys: Proedromys bedfordi, and it was rare. Except for the Sichuan Academy of Forestry, there are only three specimens in the world...

Ellobius tancrei,Ellobius talpinus,Flip rat, ground rat, blind rat, arch rat

Features：It is a species highly adapted to underground life.

Mole voles belong to the subfamily Arvicolinae. There are 5 species in the world and only 1 species in China. The species-level classification status is stable, and the subspecies are very differentiated. China has 3 subspecies recorded. It is a typical grassland underground rodent. It hardly moves...

Eolagurus luteus,Lagurus luteus,Yellow Steppe Lemming,Yellow prairie lemming,

Features：They are large, stocky, and resemble lemmings.

The yellow rabbit-tailed rat is a typical semi-desert steppe species and is cold-resistant. It was once classified as the genus <Lagurus>. Gromov & Polyakov (1992) separated the two from the morphology, making <Eolagurus> an independent genus, but whether the independent genus status...

Microtus oeconomus,Root Vole

Features：The ears are short, the tail is very short, the body hair is fluffy, and the body hair is dark gray-brown or even black-brown.

Root voles are very tolerant of moisture, and their population is large in very humid valley wetlands that are submerged even with a slight rise in water. They are harmful to grassland and wetland ecosystems. In terms of classification, they have long been confused with the Qaidam root vole (Microtu...

Alexandromys limnophilus,Microtus,Root Vole subspecies qaidam,Microtus oeconomus limnophilus

Features：The body hair is fluffy, and the hair on the back is dark gray-brown or even black-brown.

Qaidam root voles live in caves, which are relatively simple and mostly have a single entrance. They build their nests under haystacks, grass roots, and tree roots. Some individuals build outer nests. They feed on the green parts of plants, and in winter they dig up roots, tuber sprouts, and seeds o...

Lasiopodomys (Stenocranius) gregalis,Lasiopodomys gregalis,Social Vole

Features：The tail is short, the ears are short, and the back hair comes in various colors such as gray sandy yellow, black brown, brown, and light brown.

Narrow-headed voles live in groups. They are active mainly during the day, but also at night. They are often dispersed in summer, but gather on sunny slopes and leeward places in autumn and winter. The range of activity is generally no more than 150m. The intensity of activity is related to the temp...

Microtus fortis,Reed Vole,Swamp vole, Far Eastern vole, Giant vole

Features：The individual is large and is one of the largest individuals in the genus vole.

The oriental vole is a typical burrowing type. It does not hibernate and moves out of its burrows day and night. Due to its frequent activities and frequent trips between several groups of burrows, very obvious runways are often formed on the ground. Especially in moss and reed fields, the runways a...

Garrulax formosus,Red-winged Laughingthrush

Features：The snout is short and blunt, the ears are short and small, and the tail is very short.

Common voles belong to the subfamily Arvicolinae. There is no dispute about their taxonomic status. However, there are many subspecies, more than 20, which is quite confusing. The one distributed in my country may belong to the Altai subspecies (<M. arvalis obscurus>). It is harmful to farmlan...

Phaiomys leucurus，Pitymys leucurus，Brandt's pine vole, Pine vole, Pine vole、Blyth's vole

Features：It has a very short tail, very short ears, and short limbs. It is a species of the genus M. suspensor that is good at digging.

The white-tailed pine vole belongs to the subfamily of voles (Arvicolinae). The previous classification status was very confusing, but Liu Shaoying et al. (2012, 2017) confirmed that it belongs to the genus Arvicolinae through molecular systematic research. This species is distributed at high altitu...

Neodon irene

Features：The fur on the back is gray, and it is the smallest individual in the genus Pine Vole.

Plateau pine voles belong to the subfamily Arvicolinae. The classification status is stable, and it previously included two subspecies: the nominate subspecies (<N. irene irene>) and the Yunnan subspecies (<N. irene forresti>). In-depth research has found that the Yunnan subspecies of pi...

Eothenomys miletus,Eothenomys miletus confinii,Eothenomys miletus miletus,Asiatic velvet mouse

Features：It is small, short and thick, with short limbs and tail. The back of the body is dark reddish brown, and the belly is blue-gray or gray.

The large woolly rat belongs to the subfamily Arvicolinae. Its classification and identification have long been confusing, and the black-bellied woolly rat (Eothenomys melanogaster) is often included as a subspecies. The identification characteristics are also confusing due to tooth variation. It wa...