Before crunching into its prey, the grasshopper mouse howls. The sound is a high, sustained whistle which pierces the desert night. It is as if the rodent is imitating a wolf at miniature scale – the grasshopper mouse even stands on its hind legs and throws its head back during the shrill call. And while the rodent may cry spontaneously or emit the sound as a warning when it spots another of its kind, the grasshopper mouse regularly howls just before a kill.

The three species of grasshopper mice – all members of the genus Onychomys – are among the most carnivorous of all rodents. These are not adorable grain-eaters. Grasshopper mice are agile little predators which regularly take on prey