This small mammal may look like a cute, furry mouse, but it's no Stuart Little. The grasshopper mouse is a fierce hunter, dining on meat while most of its mouse cousins chew up veggies. One quick bite to the head or neck can kill almost any of this creature's prey, A noisy predator, the mouse makes a loud screech before it delivers the fatal blow.
Hunting Gear: Unlike many rodents, this animal's front teeth are long and sharp so they can bite into live prey. As its name implies, the grasshopper mouse eats a lot of grasshoppers, but also feasts on scorpions and small mammals.
Jump Around: The grasshopper mouse can't run very fast through its grassy habitat, but it is surprisingly quick. It can snatch a grasshopper in mid-jump and even bite the sting off a scorpion before being stung.
Bonsai![]
Sharp claws help make a kill.
When the grasshopper mouse's sensitive nose picks up on the scent of a nearby insect, the creature goes into action. Once the predator catches sight of its prey, it tracks the potential victim, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. The grasshopper mouse jumps onto the victim, pinning it down with its sharp claws. But before making a fatal bite, the mouse rears up on its hind legs, points its nose toward the sky and belts out a loud "battle cry," like the howl of a miniature wolf. The hunter then delivers the killing blow.
Move Along: This creature roams continuously, but males are also highly territorial. They squeal and screech if another of their kind trespasses in their hunting grounds. Battles between males can be brutal.
Fatal Attraction: Mating grasshopper mice are friendly for a while, and a male and female can share territory for up to a year. They "purr" to each other and offer the other food. When a new mating season comes around, though, they turn into rivals, and one often kills the other.
Snip the Scorpion[]
- Picking up the scent of a potential victim, a grasshopper mouse lifts its nose so it can track the scent. Turning around, the hunter sees a scorpion nearby.
- The mouse follows the scorpion and quickly pounces. The mouse dodges the arachnid's pincers and moves straight for its tail, snipping off the deadly sting.
- With its primary weapon gone, the scorpion is at the mercy of the mouse. Within minutes, no trace of the scorpion will be left.
Trivia[]
- Grasshopper Mouse is the first Tiny Terror card to not be an invertebrate.
- Of the other vertebrates in this group, it is the only one not from the last 15 packets (76-90).
- The grasshopper mouse is mentioned on the Bombardier Beetle card, which explains how they pin the beetle down to avoid its spray.
- There are two possible references in the mouse's card headings:
- The front heading "Jump Around" is possibly a reference to the 1992 House of Pain song of the same name.
- The heading "Fatal Attraction" is possibly a reference to the 1987 thriller of the same name.
- The grasshopper mouse is featured in Tricky Treat on Monster Mania 93.