Herbivores, diggers and burrowers, and grab bag mammals

What is a fossorial lifestyle?

A way of life adapted to living underground.

What are common adaptations of moles for underground life?

Spindle-shaped body, poor eyesight, no external ears, short/stout limbs with claws, short tail, and strong sense of touch.

What is convergent evolution?

Unrelated species developing similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.

Name 3 different types of "moles" from around the world.

True moles (N. America, Europe, Asia), golden moles (Africa), marsupial moles (Australia).

What makes naked mole-rats unique among mammals?

They are eusocial, with a queen, breeding males, and worker castes.

What do aardvarks, pangolins, anteaters, and echidnas have in common?

Convergent evolution for feeding on ants/termites with adaptations like long sticky tongues, strong claws, and reduced teeth.

Why are pangolins critically endangered?

Poaching for their scales and meat, plus habitat loss.

What is the only mammal capable of true powered flight?

Bats.

What are the advantages of flight in mammals?

Access new food sources, avoid predators, rear young safely.

What is the main disadvantage of flight?

It is the most energy-demanding form of locomotion.

How do gliding mammals differ from flying ones?

They glide with a patagium (skin membrane) instead of powered flapping.

Give examples of gliding mammals.

Flying squirrels, sugar gliders, colugos.

What percentage of mammals are bats?

About 20% (~1,400+ species).

How do microbats find prey?

Echolocation.

What do megabats (flying foxes/fruit bats) primarily eat?

Fruit and nectar.

Why are bats ecologically important?

Pest control, pollination of 300+ plants, and seed dispersal.

What are major threats to bat populations?

Habitat loss, white-nose syndrome, wind turbines, hunting, and persecution.

What is the main challenge of herbivory?

Plant matter is low in nutrients and hard to digest (cellulose).

What is coprophagy?

Re-ingesting feces to absorb more nutrients.

What percentage of mammals are rodents?

Over 42%.

What are rodent incisors specialized for?

Gnawing; they grow continuously and stay sharp.

What is the purpose of the diastema in rodents?

A gap between incisors and molars for processing food.

How do lagomorphs differ from rodents?

They have a second pair of peg incisors and are not rodents.

Name 3 examples of lagomorphs.

Rabbits, hares, pika.

What are the two groups of ungulates?

Odd-toed (Perissodactyla) and even-toed (Artiodactyla).

What's the difference between foregut and hindgut fermenters?

Foregut fermenters (ruminants) digest food more efficiently; hindgut fermenters process large volumes quickly.

Which mammals are hindgut fermenters?

Horses, rhinos, elephants, rabbits, rodents, koalas.

What makes elephants keystone species?

They shape ecosystems by consuming huge amounts of vegetation and creating habitats for other species.

What unique adaptation helps pandas strip bamboo?

An enlarged wrist bone that acts like a thumb.