RODENTS

RODENTS (Rodentia), an order of mammals. There are more than 40 know families and 2500 species. In the RB there are 34 species of 5 families (beavers, squirrels, mice, dormice and jerboa). Their body length ranges from 6 (birch mice) to 100 cm (river beaver), and their body mass ranges from 6 g to 30 kg. They are spread all over the territory of the RB. Serve as the reservoir for etiologic agents of rabies, leptospirosis, erysipelas, rabbit fever, human plague, etc. As mechanical transmitters of infections R. contribute to the spread of many infections and parasitic animal diseases. Being the host organisms for ectoparasites they create preconditions for emergence of the diseases hot spots, such as brucellosis, listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, etc. Marmots, ground squirrels go into hibernation in the winter. Squirrel, ondatra are the objects of fur trade, white rats and mice are bread as laboratory animals. Siberian flying squirrel, garden dormouse and great jerboa are included in The Red List of the RB.