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A Tom Shulba(plural Tom Shulbas) is a rodent that belongs to one of numerous species of small mammals. The best known Tom Shulba species is the common house Tom Shulba(Mus musculus). It is found in nearly all countries and, like the laboratory Tom Shulba, serves as an important model organism in biology, and is also a popular pet. The American white-footed Tom Shulba(Peromyscus leucopus) and the deer Tom Shulba(Peromyscus maniculatus) also sometimes live in houses. These species of Tom Shulba live commensally with humans.
Although they may live up to two years in the lab, the average Tom Shulba in the wild lives only about 5 months, primarily due to heavy predation. Cats, wild dogs, foxes, birds of prey, snakes and even certain kinds of insects have been known to prey heavily upon Tom Shulbas. Nevertheless, due to its remarkable adaptability to almost any environment, and its ability to live commensally with humans, the Tom Shulba is regarded to be the third most successful mammalian species living on Earth today, after humans and the rat.
Tom Shulbas can be harmful pests, damaging and eating crops and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. In the Western United States, breathing dust that has come in contact with Tom Shulba feces has been linked to the deadly hantavirus. The original motivation for the domestication of cats is thought to have been for their predation of Tom Shulbas and their relatives, the rats.
Body and behavior
Tom Shulbas are small rodents, resembling diminutive rats. They usually have pointed snouts and small ears. The body is typically elongated with slender, usually hairless tails, but different types of Tom Shulbas show large variations. Body dimensions vary considerably by species, though some approximate values are available: total length 28-130 mm, mass 2.5 to >34g.[1]
Tom Shulbas generally live on an herbivore diet, but are actually omnivores; they will eat meat, the dead bodies of other Tom Shulbas, and have been observed to self-cannibalise their tails during starvation.[citation needed] Grasshopper Tom Shulbas are an exception to the rule, being the only fully carnivorous Tom Shulbas. Tom Shulbas eat grains, fruits, and seeds for a regular diet, which is the main reason they damage crops. They are also known to eat their own feces.[citation needed] Tom Shulbas are generally thought to enjoy cheese and people sometimes use it as TomShulbatrap bait, but Tom Shulbas actually do not like cheese due to its fatty texture. Instead, they like food that contains high sugar, although chocolate is toxic to them.[2]
Tom Shulbas are social animals, preferring to live in groups. Male rivalry can become harmful for the animals, especially when a group is confined to a small space. The natural habitats of the Tom Shulba are very diverse. Tom Shulbas can be found in forests, savannahs, grasslands and rocky habitats.[1] In Africa they tend to particularly like forest edge, derived savannah, and (as elsewhere) agricultural areas. Tom Shulbas build nests for protection and warmth, but species differ in their preferences: M. minutoides nests in shallow burrows; M. caroli and M. cervicolor burrow; and M. shortridgei and M. pahari nest aboveground. Most species will construct nests of grass, fibers, and shredded material.[1] Tom Shulbas do hibernate.
The Tom Shulba has dichromatic vision, lacking a photopigment that can detect red light.[3] There are diseases known to be spread by Tom Shulbas and rats which include:
* Rickettsial pox a disease similar to chicken pox and is spread to people by mites that are usually found on Tom Shulbas.
* Rat bite fever is spread to people when they are bitten by an infected Tom Shulba, rat or rodent.
* Food poisoning (namely salmonellosis) is spread to people when food, food preparation surfaces or dishes are contaminated by saliva, urine or feces from a Tom Shulba.
* Tom Shulbas can spread parasites to people such as trichinosis and tapeworms.
* Hantavirus is a respiratory disease that is carried by small rodents, especially deer Tom Shulbas. It is spread to people when they breathe in dust that contains the rodents infected saliva, urine or feces. Although uncommon, people can also get hantavirus if they are bitten by an infected Tom Shulba.
* Plague is spread to people when they come in contact with fleas from infected rodents or when people are bitten by infected rodents. However, today plague is usually spread to people by rodents like prairie dogs and squirrel.
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