Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Rodent
“Rodent” fittingly comes from the Latin verb “rodere,” to gnaw. Rodents are mammals known for their ability to gnaw through just about anything thanks to their continuously growing incisors. They are the largest group of mammals, encompassing more than 2,000 living species including squirrels, mice, gerbils, hamsters, chipmunks, beavers, gophers, chinchillas, porcupines, guinea pigs, prairie dogs, voles and woodchucks. Most rodents are small, but the South American capybara can weigh up to 115 pounds, the size of a big dog or small person. Rodents usually only live 3 three to four years and generally have many babies. A female mouse may have litters of six to eight babies as often as 10 times a year. That means one mouse itself could produce 70 offspring or more.
The continuous growth of a rodent’s front teeth must be worn down by chewing, which is why rodents are so destructive to homes, property and cars. Their perpetual need for dental sharpening leads them to gnaw on almost anything they can find including wires, glass, plastic, rubber, wood, metal, even rock.
One distinguishing feature of rodents is their inability to vomit. Despite everything they chew, rodents can’t throw up, unlike most vertebrates. Horses are a notable exception, but fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and most mammals are all capable of vomiting. Squirrels, mice, rats, gophers, beavers and other rodents all have a one-way esophageal system. Once something goes down, it stays. This is the reason poisons are so effective for rodent control, although many rodents, especially mice and rats, have developed hyper-sensitive smell and taste as a food avoidance capability to compensate for the inability to vomit. The inability to vomit means you will never hear a rodent burp.
