Mammal Survey Eastern Rhodopes Bulgaria - De Zoogdiervereniging

Border police showing the right places for owl pellets.Microtus rossiaemeridionalis. However, individuals caught in live traps in this area proved to be Microtusguentheri. The map in the European Mammals Atlas points to M. rossiaemeredionalis rather thanM. guentheri in this area.Pine vole - Microtus subterraneusThe only other species of vole found in the pellets was the pine vole. The remains of three skulls werefound in tawny owl pellets gathered in a tumble-down house Zhelezino.Wood mouse / Yellow-necked mouse / Striped field mouse - Apodemus sylvaticus / flavicollis /agrariusIn the camp site surroundings, no less than four species of wood mice could be traced. Skull remainsare rather difficult to pinpoint. A total of 107 skulls in the analysed pellets (24 %) concernedsome kind of wood mice. Large mandibles (longer than 15.5 mm, incisors thicker than 1.4 mm) couldbe ascribed to A. flavicollis. A total of 17 skull remains were so named. Most wood mice skull remains,i.e. 51 exx., were not specified (A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus or A. agrarius) because the mandiblelength surpassed 13 mm and incisor thickness was less than 1.4 mm. Also, 8 skull remains werenot specified (either A. flavicollis or A. agrarius). A single skull was concluded to be A. sylvaticus/uralensis because the mandible measured less than 13.4 mm. Finally, 30 skull remains were namedA. sylvaticus or A. agrarius.House mouse / Balkan short-tailed mouse - Mus domesticus / macedonicusOf the six collections, 5 contained Mus domesticus skulls (16 exx., 28 exx., 7 exx., 1 ex. and 1 ex.).Nearly 12% of the small mammal skulls were house mice. Several individuals had broad zygomaticarches, which would point to Mus macedonicus.36 Mammal Survey Eastern Rhodope Bulgaria