Southern grasshopper mice produce a loud, piercing wolf-like howl when faced with an adversary, while standing on their hind legs with their noses pointed upwards.
Perhaps the most unusual thing about the southern grasshopper mouse is its trademark howl.
The mouse can produce a loud, piercing, pure tone, which lasts between 0.7 and 1.2 seconds and is audible to the human ear up to 100 meters away.
Standing on their hind legs with their noses pointed upwards, they give this call when faced with an adversary, including other grasshopper mice, or prior to making a kill.
This shrill warning, often repeated, is compared to a miniature wolf call, due to its smoothness and prolongation and to the animal’s wolf-like posture.
• Image | © Noelle M. Brooks, All Rights Reserved
• Sources | (Kester, 1999)
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